Naruto Uchiha: the Last Sage of the Six Paths
by JH17
Summary: A young, six year old Naruto arrives at the scene of the Uchiha Massacre as a mob finally corners him. After years of torment at their hands, coupled with seeing Uchiha dead everywhere, he snaps. On that day Naruto changes from an energetic, loving, smiling boy. From that day forth, Naruto Uzumaki died, and Naruto Uchiha was born. Dark/gray and eventual god-like Naruto.
1. Chapter 1: Life and Death

Uzumaki Naruto, the "demon", ran for his life. While he really could not be killed by normal means due to his regeneration, that did not help the stress of it all. He ran all the way from his apartment to the Uchiha District. When he got there, he looked for his almost-friend Sasuke. The seven year old boy was nowhere to be found. Instead, Naruto came across nothing but death. Blood and corpses filled the streets of the great Uchiha District. He stood staring at the revolting site. When the villagers finally caught up to him, they began to accuse him of killing them. They assumed he was really the demon they thought him to be, and so their hateful chase increased ten-fold. They charged him. Naruto, too scared from the deaths of the Uchiha and feeling a certain sympathy grasp his heart, didn't move. The villagers beat him to the floor, continuing to lay down blow after blow. His body was covered in blood and bruises after an hour but they were just getting started. The beating got fiercer and the weapons came out. Kunai were stabbed into him, clubs beat him, and torches scorched his skin.

Little Naruto Uzumaki, "demon" of the village, showed nothing but smiles before that day. That day, he snapped. Naruto didn't see his friend's corpse, but he figured it was there too. This revelation, along with the other Uchiha bodies and blood, made him snap when the villagers finally began to let up on their attacks. The mental and physical strain was too much, and so, the Uchiha Massacre encompassed more than purely Uchiha. It had dozens of villagers with it.

Red, burning chakra burst from the boy in a fiery explosion. His eyes warped into the proud eyes of the dead he saw all around him. Blue irises bled into a deep red, and three black tomoe spun wildly. The black pupils stretched upward into animalistic slits as his whiskers darkened and thickened. His nails sharpened and grew. A red, bubbling chakra swarmed his body, healing and empowering him immensely. **"** **You...all of you..WILL PAY FOR THIS!"** He roared.

The villagers struggled to breathe with the immense killing intent the six year old boy was releasing. The few nin, a couple of chunin and genin, who were with the villagers stood shakily until the boy lashed out. He moved faster than any of them could see, ripping through them like paper. Blood splashed into the air. Bodies dropped to the ground. He tore through the 30-some villagers with ease, even killing the nin. After finishing the entire group of them, the chakra faded away. He stood, staring at the corpses, realizing the full weight of his actions. He turned to run to the Hokage, to tell him what he d done, but he stopped when he saw Uchiha Itachi staring back at him.

Their red eyes locked, and Itachi's spun into his Mangekyou, whispering a single word before he shunshin-ed back to the Hokage's office to tell him his mission was complete. Naruto dropped to his knees as the Tsukiyomi took hold. _"_ _Even Itachi wouldn't speak to me...I...I'm a monster, aren't I? I'm the same thing I tried to prove I wasn't...I'm a demon...I killed them...all of them"_ he thought. He broke down as the images and memories of the slaughter were replayed in his mind over and over. An hour later the Hokage and his Anbu arrived to cleanup after Itachi.

-Fourteen hours later-

Slowly, his eyes opened, blurred by the light above him. He stared into the ceiling for a few moments before he sat up slowly.

"Naruto...how do you feel?" the Hokage asked.

Silence. Naruto simply looked up at him with dead eyes for a moment, before his eyes dropped back down. _"What do I do about all this?"_ the Hokage wondered, _"Do I blame Itachi?"  
_

-Flashback-

 _"Hokage-sama...it is done." Itachi spoke as he kneeled before the "God of Shinobi", Hiruzen Sarutobi. The late Sandaime was forced back into the position after the death of Minato Namikaze. Hiruzen nodded to Itachi. "Rise, Uchiha Itachi, sadly it is your time to leave the village." Itachi nodded and stood. "Before I leave, Hokage-sama...blame everything on me. Not just for the Uchiha deaths, but all of them. Do not let Naruto be blamed for it. Tell them I placed Naruto under my Tsukiyomi. Most of all, make sure the councilors don't get their hands on the last two Uchiha left in the village. Goodbye, Hokage-sama." He burst into a flock of crows before Hiruzen could respond._

 _-_ End Flashback-

Naruto's eyes slowly reddened into his matured Sharingan, until they receded back into his dulled blue eyes.

 _"This must be what Itachi meant...I suppose I have no choice but to pin the blame on him."_ He thought, still a bit surprised by Naruto's Sharingan. Itachi would from now on be an S-Rank missing-nin, as much as Hiruzen hoped it wouldn't come to that. "Naruto, just rest, tell them I have given you permission to leave whenever you see fit."

"Then I'm leaving." Naruto replied. Hiruzen blinked in surprise "Are you sure Naruto?"

"Hai...Hokage-sama." Those words broke the old Hokage's heart. The stress, hate, and pain of it all had finally crushed Naruto's spirit. Naruto slide off the bed quietly, and walked out of his room and then out of the hospital, walking until he finally made it to his apartment. For the next three days, he would lock himself away from the outside world.

* * *

So I've changed some things around to correct some minor errors and setup for future events, like: Naruto learning of his heritage, bond between Sasuke and Naruto, etc.

Sorry to anyone I've bothered by making these changes. Hope you enjoy this first chapter!


	2. Chapter 2: Past and Present

-TIME SKIP: 2 YEARS LATER-

Naruto looked over the entrance of the Academy. The building looked huge, especially since it was in front of the Hokage Mountain. The giant sign with the kanji for "Fire" was proudly displayed above the entrance. "Another day of torment I suppose" he muttered under his breath. It had been roughly two years since he'd entered the Academy and he still hated it. He thought of how much he had changed since he'd entered this dreadful place. He finally got rid of that blue and orange jumpsuit, favoring a hooded, black cloak eerily similar to the Yondaime Hokage's. Along with that he wore black shinobi sandals, black Anbu pants, and a dark red shirt under his cloak. He smirked thinking about how he had changed in terms of skill as well. With his Sharingan, he copied dozens of useful jutsu, most notably the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu). With it, he discovered he could amp up his training tenfold with its ability to return memories to the user. He had managed to successfully learn nearly every technique he'd seen. The Sharingan was certainly useful for training.

Besides that, he had matured immensely. He almost laughed thinking about his formerly naive self. Also, soon after the "incident" the Hokage deemed his Sharingan an S-Rank secret. Only he or the Hokage could speak of it, and he had to have whomever he told swear not to tell anyone. So far, he hadn't told anyone just yet. Naruto briefly thought of telling Sasuke, weighing the pros and cons. He and Sasuke had something of an understanding between them, having both been there that night seeing the massacres. They'd even started to train a bit together, usually after school once or twice a week. They both seemed to understand each other's pain, Naruto more so than Sasuke.

He shook his head, pushing these thoughts out of his mind and entering the Academy. He knew that he was late, but he didn't really care for it. He figured since it was the first time this week, Iruka wouldn't mind as much. Naruto made his way to the classroom and Shunshin-ed next to his seat up in the back, sitting down quietly next to Sasuke. He glanced over at Naruto, nodding slightly to him as a silent greeting. It seemed Sasuke had even begun to swallow his pride and understand that Naruto was very likely superior to him in skill. Naruto returned the nod and turned back to Iruka.

"AHEM" coughed Iruka loudly, before narrowing his eyes at Naruto. "Little late, aren't you, Naruto?" The entire class turned and looked at Naruto, surprise spreading through the class. Naruto simply shrugged and leaned back in his seat casually. Sakura glared at him "Baka! Stop trying to be cool like Sasuke-kun!". Naruto scoffed at her "Sure, I'm not trying to sneak into class or anything. I'm just _desperately_ trying to be like your 'Sasuke-kun'." he said sarcastically. She glared at him further as he met her gaze passively until she gave up the staring contest and looked back to the front. Iruka sighed at the exchange before returning to the lesson. " _I know Hokage-sama asked me to keep an eye on him but...even I can't figure out what he's thinking or doing. Seems some part of his old self is still intact. He's still so unpredictable..."_ he thought. Naruto decided to catch up on some sleep to get out of the lesson.

* * *

Naruto snapped his eyes open. He felt water soaking everything below his knees. He looked around cautiously before he realized something: " _I'm in my mindscape..."_. He looked down the dark corridor in front of him, pipes dripping above him. Channeling and releasing chakra around his body, he kept the water from dropping onto him. He stepped up onto the water before he started wandering through the corridor. He finally reached something of a cage and his eyes swirled into this three tomoe Sharingan. " _Thats..."_

A deep, roaring laughter echoed through the mindscape. Two red, slitted eyes slowly opened and a massive fox came out from the shadows. Nine tails were waving behind it wildly. **"So...my jailor finally comes to see me? I'm flattered..."**

Naruto gulped. The greatest of the nine Bijuu, the Kyuubi, stared back at him amused. "Kyuubi, so that's where that chakra came from..." It nodded back at Naruto, before laughing. **"Even with those eyes, you're afraid. You're not as pure-blooded as I'd thought."** Kyuubi said. "Wh-what do you mean?" Naruto asked, slightly more afraid. It laughed its deep laugh once again, genuinely amused by its container **"Seems I continue to misjudge you, _Uchiha_ _Namikaze Uzumaki_ Naruto." ** Naruto's eyes widened immensely "N-Namikaze?" he gasped. It laughed louder this time **"Yes, you are the son of the Yondaime, but you knew that already, didn't you? Deep down, you knew ever since you saw him, I could tell by your change in emotion whenever you saw a picture of _him_ " **it snarled, spitting his last names out resentfully. "That means..." **"The old man lied to you? To your face? Despite your desperate desire to know your parents, he still refused you. Yes, he lied to you."**

Naruto clenched his hands, shaking with rage. **"I can feel your hatred and anger from here, Naruto, but before you do anything let me give you some advice."** Slowly, Naruto's hands relaxed and opened and he took a deep breath. "What is this 'advice' Kyuubi?" The Bijuu smirked and spoke in its booming voice **"Don't do anything stupid. Remember that I am the real reason you didn't know your parents in the first place, as well as the reason you know who they are now".** Naruto's eyes narrowed and he grit his teeth, seething, unconsciously calling on the Kyuubi's chakra in his rage. **"You'll pay for it, _fox_ "** he spat as the chakra faded away into his system. The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed back at him **"Unconsciously calling on _my_ chakra when you're angry at me? You might be able to wield some of my chakra, but you can't control it, nor can you control me" **he snarled. Naruto smirked triumphantly back "Seems one day I'll be able to control your chakra. But Kyuubi, before I leave..."

It raise an eyebrow at him, unsure of what he might be wanting to say. "I don't want to control you, I want to work with you. Our hatred combined could crush any who oppose us, I may even be able to give you a body to use, if only temporarily." The Kyuubi grinned maliciously **"Seems you're smarter than you look, very well, I will see if you hold true to your word."**

* * *

"NARUTO! NARUTO WAKE UP AND STOP SLEEPING IN MY CLASS!" shouted Iruka into Naruto's ear. Naruto slowly opened his eyes and turned to Iruka "Yeah yeah I know." Iruka sighed and walked back down to the platform. "You have no homework class, but Naruto has detention" he looked up at Naruto, annoyed "The rest of you are dismissed, enjoy the rest of the day." Sasuke snickered at Naruto "Nice going dobe, have fun in detention". Naruto simply rolled his eyes "Don't worry, I'll be out in no time". "Same spot then, Naruto?" "Same spot."

Sasuke nodded and left the room, leaving Naruto and Iruka alone. "Oi, Iruka-sensei" he waved Iruka over. He sighed and walked up the stairs to Naruto "Yes?". Naruto smirked at him and made a handsign "Harem no Jutsu!" six shadow clones, henged into busty, beautiful women squealed and surrounded Iruka. His nose bled profusely before he shot up into the ceiling, knocking himself out instantly from his own immense perversion. Naruto dispersed the shadows clones with a smirk and walked down the steps and out the door, heading off to their usual training ground.

* * *

So I'll be reading and answering at least one review per chapter (if there are any reviews anyway).

Review by Uchihacurse:

Hey JH !

I have a couple of points i want to tell u about  
First, why making naruto godlike i mean it's illogical even itachi or madara weren't godlike in canon naruto shippuden and the sharingan is trained so u cannot be godlike over 1 night i am suggesting that u takd your time to develop naruto's caracter and powers and don't rush in because u might destroy ur work if the readers notice that everything's going fast and naruto too powerful !  
Second, you came with a great idea with this fic where naruto is an uchiha but you have to also consider the emotional side ( romance philosophy ...) with a lot of action of course so that you can attract every type of readers  
That's all i hope u take my words kindly  
Good luck with the rest and don't give up no matter what you read in the reviews let it inspire you to work harder  
Lateer ^^

First of all thanks for the review I really appreciate it, especially so early on in the story.

I'm concerned with making Naruto too strong too quickly as well, this is my first story after all and I don't want to accidentally jump the gun and make Naruto absolutely insane by the Shippuden timeskip. Essentially, I'm looking to make him stronger earlier and the Shippuden timeskip be more about strength than the canon timeskip. Considering the only thing Naruto really learned was how to control two-maybe three tails of the Kyuubi's chakra, I want him to learn much more and become much stronger. Also while Itachi, Madara, Hashirama (even reanimated, younger Nagato), and the tailed beasts are extremely powerful themselves, I want Naruto to take only a bit less time to reach and in turn surpass them. Considering in this story Naruto has both Senju and Uchiha blood naturally, he has much greater potential than the aforementioned. All I plan on doing in terms of growth is allowing him to surpass obstacles better. Examples of this are his chakra control, techniques, and intelligence. Other than that, I plan on giving him years to develop into a god-like level, with ample reason to be god-like. I've taken your advice and decided to expand on Naruto as a person for this chapter, rather than showing just physical changes I decided on showing more mental changes as well. More specifically, how the Uchiha Massacre and his own personal massacre affected him, how he reacted to it, and how he moved past it. I won't just have him forget what happened and push it away, but keep it as a recurring theme to explain his darkness better. As for romance, I'm not particularly sure how I'm going to work with that (I may not even have a romance set up until much later in the story) but I'm open to ideas. The action will start next chapter so anyone who has been waiting for that stay tuned! Thanks a lot for the review and good luck to any future stories!

Hope everybody enjoyed this chapter! Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3: Root

Naruto walked, hands stuffed deep in his pockets as he made his way to their designated training ground. As he walked through a small forest on the outskirts, he felt a presence above him. As a kunai narrowly missed his shoulder, he whipped around to look for his unknown attacker. "Who's there? Show yourself!" A single Anbu with a white mask dropped from the trees. The mask had three arcing red lines above the eyebrow, and a cat-like mouth in black. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the strange Anbu before him. The man didn't speak, he simply charged Naruto and engaged him in taijutsu. A punch came from the left and Naruto moved to block it, giving the strange Anbu an opening to knee him in the stomach. Naruto's breathing hitched and he struggled to maintain his ground. The torrent of blows didn't end there, the man punched him straight in the nose and Naruto stumbled back as the man kicked him in the chest. Naruto jumped away, desperately trying to catch his breath.

Naruto hadn't studied any taijutsu styles yet, so he was forced onto the Academy's worthless standard style. Naruto failed to block the next two punches, one to his stomach and another to his chest, making deep breaths nearly impossible. Naruto grit his teeth and his eyes spun into the Sharingan. The man made no outward reaction, but paused slightly at the sight of Naruto's eyes. Naruto quickly closed the gap, swinging left and right hooks in quick succession, trying to come up with some kind of strategy to defeat the man. With the Sharingan active, Naruto could actually block a few of the man's hits. However, he still wasn't gaining an leverage on the masked nin. _"Kyuubi, lend me your chakra."_ The fox gave a short, indignant "hmph" that his container would need his power against such a weak human.

Red, boiling chakra exploded out from him, until it calmed and simply ebbed at the edges of his clothes, giving him a dark red aura and strong killing intent. Even his eyes changed slightly with his pupil stretching upward into a black slit. It wasn't too much chakra, so only a sensor would notice or someone very close like Sasuke was. The killing intent was also very focused, causing the masked nin to hesitate slightly. Seeing this, Naruto shot forward, looking to gain an advantage and push the man back. He kneed the man in the stomach before hitting him with a right uppercut from his chin. The man was launched a few feet in the air. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted as 10 clones poof-ed into existence. They nodded at their creator, wielding the same red chakra and red eyes. He leapt up under the man and kicked him higher into the air as his clones launched themselves up towards the masked nin. The clones gathered around him and kicked him down, shooting him back down into the ground. As they fell, the clones held a fist out to ensure that they would be able to deal even more damage before they dispelled. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)!" the man called and held a hand sign, sending a fireball into the clones.

Naruto knelt to the side, trying to reign his breathing in with the help of the Kyuubi's regenerative chakra. He watched as the man easily dispersed his clones with a single fireball and went through their memories mentally. _"I guess he's pretty persistent. I'll have to use some jutsu of my own."_ Naruto thought carefully. His threw up a single handsign "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". A single clone stood next to him, to which he nodded and turned back towards his opponent. Naruto and his clone went through handsigns and shouted "Futon: Daitoppa(Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)!" "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" A massive wave of fire exploded outward, further enhanced by the Kyuubi's potent chakra. The huge wave roared forward to the nin, who flashed through his own handsigns "Suiton: Mizurappa(Water Style: Wild Water Wave)!". The strange Anbu spewed a large wave of water back at the roaring fire. The fire, with some difficulty, swallowed the wave and diminished slightly. It kept on its course however, and went straight for the Anbu.

Naruto's clone dispersed and he narrowed his eyes, looking for the masked nin. Suddenly, a badly burned man shot out from the remaining smoke. Naruto pumped chakra into his arms and legs, and met him head on. A punch thrown by the nin was blocked by Naruto, the Kyuubi's chakra singing the man. He stumbled, giving Naruto the perfect chance to end the fight once and for all. He threw an uppercut straight into the nin's stomach, causing him to lurch forward in pain, before Naruto slammed his head down into the ground with an elbow. The nin was smashed into the ground, breaking his mask and falling into unconsciousness.

Naruto knelt down, breathing heavily. _"I really need to train myself in using the Kyuubi's chakra. I think I need to learn some taijutsu too. Kami I'm exhausted."_ he thought. He realized after the adrenaline died down that the Kyuubi's chakra tired him out quickly. _"Perhaps a bit of stamina training would help too."_ He stood up a bit shakily and created a Shadow Clone. "Take him to the Hokage, I'm going to go tell Sasuke." The clone nodded and walked off with a bit of difficulty due to his creator's current situation. Naruto started walking to the training ground he was supposed to meet Sasuke at when Sasuke suddenly stepped out from behind a tree. "Naruto...who was that guy?" he asked, looking in the direction of the fight. Small fires still raged here and there among the trees, smoke billowing out from the tops. "I don't know, some Anbu. His taijutsu hurt though. We'll have to train tommorow, Sasuke." The raven haired boy nodded and looked back to Naruto and his eyes widened. "Th-those eyes...how do you have those eyes?!" he demanded, now fuming with rage. Naruto muttered a curse and replied "Sasuke, even I don't know. I awakened them during my own...massacre." Sasuke's anger soon subsided, before he let out a dark chuckle. "Seems I'm no longer the last Uchiha."

Naruto smirked a bit and spoke. "I guess so" he said before he fell back, passing out from fatigue.

* * *

 **AN:** So I think this was the hardest chapter to write so far (I know that doesn't really say anything but still, even the first chapter was easier to write). It took me so long to figure out who I would have as the attacker. Originally, it was going to be Itachi but I couldn't come up with a reason or dialogue. Another thought was Obito, but I couldn't think of a reason for him either. I tried writing with an unknown Root too, but that didn't work either since it felt more like an excuse than anything. I even thought of having it be Mizuki. Eventually though, I found a Root member on the wiki that I could use and decided on him. I made sure he wasn't too important in the canon story too, so I wouldn't interfere with the canon story line too much. Then I struggled to write the fight scene and had to redo it three separate times (one with Itachi and two with a Root member) before I decided on this. I'm sure this fight isn't very good though, sorry about that.

Anyways enough rambling, time for reviews!

Review by MaxineCrazy: Hey there! :) A promising story! It's quite interesting, actually. I look forward to seeing what comes next

A tip though, you might not want to have your paragraphs so long; they could end up a little draggy, but it's up to you, of course.

Another thing is that, you might want to explain the origin of how Naruto obtains his Sharingan, and it's a little rude of me to say this so early as you may want to explain it in detail later on; but while the concept of Naruto attaining the Sharingan is understandable, some others may not see it that way. Just a little warning as flames may come because people are judgemental and are unable to give decent, constructive criticisms.

But other than that, your story is promising, and I hope to see more of it in the future! :)

P.S. You might want to bold or italicise your Author's Note to distinguish it from your story :)

Later,  
Max

Me: First off thanks for the review and the encouragement, it really helps! I thought I might have been making the paragraphs too long but I wasn't quite sure so I decided to leave it for those chapters. Also, I plan on delving into details on Naruto's heritage, the Sharingan, etc in later chapters so don't worry! I still have to come up with that entire thing after all (don't worry though, I have a strong idea). I won't spoil anything just yet though, anyways thanks for the review!

Review by Hunter801: I'm just want to say whether you develop romance between naruto and whoever or not. Please do not add it in until your story has progress far enough were the romance won't interfere with plot development. And for all the is holy if you decide to add romance please don't make it NarutoXHinata it is so overused and overrated...in my opinion. Besides that I love your story :)

Me: I honestly never expected people to like the story so much so far, thanks! With the romance though, I'm planning on hinting at it during part 1, then delving into it mid Shippuden (in terms of timelines that is). I have to say though, while it is definitely overused, I don't really mind it since its a canon pairing. I will however make Hinata a, for lack of a better word, person of interest. Also, I don't think Naruto could ever end up with Hinata since this Naruto really has nothing he can relate to with Hinata.

Overall, thanks for your support! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4: New Beginnings

His entire body groaned against every movement. Naruto fought it down and sat up, still trying to force his eyes to adjust the the new-found light. He scanned around the room, searching for the strange Anbu. He saw no sign of the Anbu and relaxed, taking in his surroundings. _"A lot of white...the hospital?"_ he thought. He looked to the door and watched Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sandaime Hokage step in. "Hello, Naruto." "Hokage-sama, I was attacked by-" "An unknown Anbu? Yes, I've heard. Your friend Sasuke brought the two of you in." Naruto nodded. "Who is he?" he asked. _"Do I tell him the truth?"_ pondered the elderly Hokage, _"I suppose I should, to keep him away from Danzo."_ "Naruto, he is a part of an old Anbu Corps, that I had seemingly failed to disband after the Third Shinobi World War." "Failed?" "Yes, apparently Danzo, a council member and old friend of mine had simply hidden it away. I will be sure to punish Danzo for sending one of his men to attack you." "He intended to make me his weapon, doesn't he?" inquired Naruto. Hiruzen stood shocked, Naruto had discovered Danzo's motives so quickly for being so young. "Yes Naruto, I believe that is the case. I'm sorry this happened."

Naruto stopped himself from responding too quickly, careful to judge the old man's expressions. _"Do I tell him that I know the truth? That I know he lied to me? It would give me freedom to do as I wish, I could even convince him to teach me a few jutsu and chakra control exercises. Maybe a taijutsu stance too...yes, I'll tell him."_ Naruto looked him straight in the eye "I'll have to get used to it, after all I'm sure this'll happen even more often when people learn who my father is." Hiruzen's eyes widened and his jaw dropped a bit. "Wh-what? Naruto, I..." Naruto raised a hand "I don't want to hear it. I want some...compensation, for the lies." Hiruzen quickly nodded "Anything Naruto."

 ** _"Boy, you'd better ask to train in my chakra. I will_ not _tolerate a container who cannot even wield my chakra properly"_** a voice boomed in his head. Naruto nodded and decided it was certainly a good idea. "I wish to freely train in the Kyuubi's chakra, along with a training ground to use. I want my father's notes on the Hirashin and the Rasengan. Lastly, I want my father's estate and funds." The Sandaime hesitated for a moment, before slowly nodding. "Of course Naruto, let me get the papers. Stay here." Naruto simply relaxed and smirked as the man walked out. He sighed and thought about how powerful he would become. With the Kyuubi's chakra, his father's jutsu and money, he would be immensely powerful. Along with the Sharingan, of course. He realized he should probably ask Sasuke about the eyes, to see what he could learn from the Uchiha. _"All of that can wait...I need to prepare for all my training. I really don't want to attract attention in the academy either, perhaps I'll do my best to stay at the bottom. Then, no one will ever bother me and my strength can be used to surprise enemies...and I hate to admit it, but I feel bad for this. I'm manipulating the person I used to see as a grandfather. Well, I suppose he did lie to me after all...especially when I had pretty much begged him to tell me..."_

Sasuke walked in to the hospital, keen on discovering the truth. While he wasn't so much angry at his friend, he was rather...frustrated. He was frustrated that Naruto also had the Sharingan, clearly for some time, but never told him. He wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know how his friend had it, when he got it, where, and why. He quickly asked for his room number, before receiving an equally quick, yet distasteful response ending with "Uchiha-sama". He internally groaned hearing it since he knew that he was no longer the last Uchiha it seemed. Sasuke walked quickly to Naruto's room, and passed a hurrying Sandaime on the way, who bumped into him with a quick "sorry". Sasuke shrugged it off and entered the white room.

"Figured you'd come, sooner or later" said Naruto, "Mind shutting the door?" Sasuke nodded quickly and shut it. "How long?" "How long what?" "How long have you had those eyes?" "Since the... _incident_ " Naruto spat. "You never did tell me exactly what happened to you." "It's a sensitive topic." "Tell me." "If I told you I'd have to kill you." "What?" Sasuke snorted in amusement before seeing Naruto's look "You're serious..."

"You can't tell anyone, Sasuke, especially not anyone in our class." "I promise, I won't tell anyone." "Very well..." Naruto sighed "You remember the Kyuubi from class, right?" "Yeah, what about it? It's dead." "Not really." "What?" Sasuke's eyes widened. "You see...the Kyuubi is pure chakra, so it really can't die. It has to be sealed." "So the Yondaime...he sealed into someone?" "Exactly, and do you know who was chosen? The one whose birthday is on that very day."

Sasuke's mouth opened and closed, struggling to form coherent words. "Y-you don't mean..." he stuttered. "Yes, Sasuke, I have the Kyuubi sealed inside me." _"So that's why all the adults hate him..."_ "So then...what's that got to do with the _massacre?_ " "The villagers attack me every so often, and one such attack happened to be at the same time. I was chased towards you, when I arrived and saw the bodies..." Naruto winced at the memory. "The villagers figured I'd done it, since I'd gotten there earlier than them. I figured the only person who...didn't hate me was dead too, and I lost it when they attacked. The Kyuubi's chakra flooded my body, and with the chakra came the rage and hatred. So I...killed them...all of them..." Naruto looked away "Then I saw Itachi...we locked eyes and he..." Naruto trailed off.

"Used _that_ on you, right?" Sasuke guessed. Naruto nodded absently and replied, hollowly: "I've never been the same since then... and those...visions...still haunt me..."

* * *

 **AN:**

Hey

Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy lately, and I spent all my free time playing URF and BO3. Sorry about that, I'll be updating on the usual few-days-between again.

Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Namikaze Estate

**AN:**

So I know that I just said that updates would be as frequent as before, but some family issues and other things have kinda made that hard. I lost a lot of time to lifeguard certification and family issues. Yeah I'll admit it sounds like excuses, but when it's true it's more of reasoning to me. Well, anyways, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Hiruzen had never felt so ashamed in his entire life. The "God of Shinobi", felt ashamed for his actions. He'd hidden truth upon truth from him, only to have it come back and haunt him ten-fold. He'd lied to a curious child, a desperate child, a lonely child, for the boy's safety, only to find out he'd known for some time. The cool, casual way Naruto spoke it indicated that he'd known for some time. He had no idea when Naruto had learned of this, but he knew he was called out on it easily. All he could do now was repay the boy in the ways that Naruto had requested. The Sandaime still had a feeling of relief that Naruto finally knew, that he knew that Minato was his father. The Hokage couldn't be sure if Naruto knew about Kushina, but figured he would find out soon enough. With that thought, he gathered the remaining papers necessary and headed back out to find Naruto.

* * *

Naruto walked out of the hospital and walked straight up the tree nearby. Sasuke stared in disbelief as he did so, while Naruto simply leaned against the trunk. Naruto glanced down and smirked a little "Coming up or not?". Sasuke shook his head and started to walk "I'm going home, there are a few things I have to...think about." Naruto nodded and closed his eyes.

 _"Hey...Kyuubi..." **"What do you want now?"** "Where were we before, and how do I get back there?" **"Your mind, just think about it, you'll come back."**_ Naruto nodded and concentrated on that idea and when he opened his eyes, he found himself in his mindscape.

"So that's how it works..." wondered Naruto aloud. The Kyuubi snorted in response while Naruto looked around. He soon became familiar with his surroundings before the Kyuubi cracked open its left eye, head still resting on its massive paws. **"You have a visitor, leave me."**

Naruto's eyes snapped open as the Sandaime landed in front of the hospital. Naruto slipped out of the tree, landing softly behind him. "Ah, Naruto, I have everything right here." The Sandaime held out his hands, filled with papers. "What do I need to do?" "Just sign here, here, and here." he said, handing him a few papers and a pen. Naruto thoughtlessly signed accordingly and was handed another stack of papers. "These are for you. All of the information on the house and funds are in there, along with the address. You're free to move out whenever you see fit." The Sandaime explained before leaping onto the hospital and heading off back to his office. Naruto quickly summoned a dozen Kage Bunshin to move his few belongings to the house, while Naruto himself headed off to it.

Naruto found a small house, away from the rest of the village. It seemed almost untouched entirely, never entered since that fateful day. He carefully walked to the front door, and opened it carefully. _"Knowing his Hiraishin, he probably had a few more seals in the house."_ he thought before he looked around. A seal slowly receded from the floor, before Naruto had even really seen it. Naruto, realizing the house might then be filled with seals, activated his Sharingan. He looked at the chakra covering sections of wall, floor, and ceiling. He memorized the chakra's position before he shut his Sharingan off and walked into the kitchen. He ran his hand over the untouched counter, careful to take in the rooms. He moved into the family room, where a picture of his parents sat, almost staring back at him. Their wide smiles made him take a double take. He shook his head, disgusted that he'd been so deeply moved by a mere picture. _"I'm supposed to have changed"_ he thought, anger bubbling at the surface before he calmed himself. Naruto shoved those thoughts aside and went upstairs, looking around at the beds and the crib meant for him. He sighed and headed back downstairs and felt a clone dispel itself, leaving a handful of Instant-Ramen at the doorstep.

Naruto simply sighed at his clone's antics before he summoned a dozen more to actually put his stuff where he'd wanted it to go. The previous clones arrived and the new clones took everything and set the house back up for their creator. As the clones finished, Naruto looked around and nodded in approval before he headed back out of the house, the seal on the floor spreading out once again.

Naruto walked outside behind the house, sizing up the training ground. _"I knew he'd trained quite a bit, but I didn't expect an entire_ training ground _like the one Sasuke and I use."_ Naruto sat down in the center of the training ground and began to think the day's events over. _"I still don't know who attacked me...and I still need to read those notes on his jutsu."_ he thought. Naruto summoned a hundred Kage Bunshin quickly and separated them into four groups. "I want one group to work on chakra control, one group to work on ninjutsu, one group to read notes on the Hiraishin, and I want the last group to read the notes on the Rasengan. Make sure to dispel yourself if you make a significant breakthrough too." The clones quickly set out to complete their respective tasks while Naruto headed off to buy some legitamate food for himself with the new money.

* * *

Naruto stood and summoned five Kage Bunshin and sent them off to buy food under different henges. He simply walked around while he waited for his clones to buy the food he wanted, careful to ignore anyone who glared at him. Soon, his clones had bought the necessary food and headed back to his new home, while Naruto made his way to his old apartment. _"Can't hurt to see what I'm leaving behind"_ he thought.

* * *

 **AN:**

So finally I can get back to my every-few-days update schedule, which is good to know. I've been wanting to write more of this story since the more I think about what I have in store for you guys, the more I want to write. Well, anyways, hoped you enjoyed this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6: Deadly Seal

_"Demon"_ was scribbled along the walls in blood red. Naruto simply scanned the wall with a blank look, completely unaffected by the scribblings. _T"he Sandaime can't protect you_ forever" and _"We'll get you one day"_ among others were also written on the walls. He walked up the steps and into the shattered doorway of the apartment. More threats were sloppily written across the walls, almost as if the person was drunk. _"Guess I shouldn't expect so much from them anymore"_ Naruto thought idly. As he gazed around the apartment, he felt something akin to shame. _"What is this...feeling?"_

 **"You feel guilty, Naruto."** _"But for what?"_ **"Your manipulation of the one you once called "Jiji"."** Naruto narrowed his eyes and shoved the feeling out of his mind _"I'm supposed to have changed, I'm supposed to be stronger now, both mentally and physically. I can't let myself feel this way."_ Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts and took one last look at the apartment before he turned and left the apartment, shunshin-ing away to a nearby rooftop.

* * *

Naruto had never actually been to the Intelligence building before, but now he'd decided to pay a visit. It was the one place Naruto would not even dare to prank during his earlier childish, weaker days. He knew why now, because as he activated his Sharingan and took a look through the building, the outlines of Anbu stood on guard with a couple of prisoners being interrogated as well. He scrutinized the different chakras of each person, and searched for the one he'd fought against. _"Bingo."_ Across the building sat a familiar signature as a couple of people made their way to his cell. _"I've gotta be quick about this if I want to find out more about this guy"_ he thought as he made a Kage Bunshin. He nodded silently to the clone as it henge-d into an ant and made its way into the building. _"Hopefully it gets there in time."_

* * *

Anko had never seen a man like this in her life. She'd seen some interesting Anbu in her life, but no one like this. She'd never seen the kind of mask before, not even on known enemies. It wasn't just the mask that puzzled her though, it was the person too. It seemed to be a young man, likely around 16. She couldn't understand why he'd attacked Naruto of all people, for as far as she knew, he had nothing special about him except for the Kyuubi. She had wanted to talk to him at some point, but when the Uchiha massacre happened, she simply couldn't bring herself to speak to him. He'd seemed so distant, so detached from everyone else since then, and it seemed like he didn't even want to speak with anyone. Anko had heard that even the Sandaime rarely spoke to him nowadays. So she'd decided to simply leave him alone and move on with her life like nothing ever happened. Her mind turned back to their new prisoner that they were to interrogate very soon. She and Ibiki had been on their way to collect him now. Anko still couldn't think of a reason why Ibiki had called in this favor, but she figured it was something important if she'd even been told who the person was. She glanced over at him, still trying to read him, but eventually gave up with a shrug. _"Guess I can't read him like I did during the Chunin Exams."_

* * *

The clone slipped into the sleeve of Anko's coat silently and clung to the top of it, careful to avoid her hand and wrist. It heard the two speak to the strange Anbu the original had fought not too long ago. "Get up, now" a deep voice spoke. The clone heard the man being grabbed by the deep voice and dragged along by Anko and the other man. It couldn't be sure of the voice's owner, but decided the original could figure that out later. Naruto watched the entire ordeal, aware of the fact that an oddly large amount of chakra was concentrated in Anko's sleeve. He watched the clone be carried into what he could only assume to be an interrogation room. Meanwhile, the clone poked its head out very slowly as it heard a heavy door shut. It saw the second person, a man with two long, diagonal scars down his face. He still wasn't sure of his identity, but at least the voice had a face now. All that was left was the name, and he could find out more about this person. Soon, the man spoke again, and the clone slipped back inside the coat and listened intently.

"Who are you? How did you get inside Konoha? What are your motives? Why did you attack Uzumaki Naruto? Who sent you?" asked the man calmly. The strange Anbu responded slowly, clearly struggling to form words "I am no one." The man laughed, before speaking in a threatening tone "then how about this, I'll rip each finger off one by one until you tell me. How does that sound?" "That will not be necessary." replied the Anbu, with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I am called Terai." "You're called Terai?" "Hai, that is what I am called?" "Well then, "Terai" tell me something." The man paused, before speaking, closer to the Anbu now "What does Danzo want with Naruto?". The newly named "Terai" didn't speak for a moment, before responding blankly "I cannot tell you." "Why is that?" "I am physically unable to do so."

"And why is that?" "You would have to kill me." The interrogator laughed again, and the clone felt Anko shift a bit uneasily. "Open your mouth, 'Terai'." It seemed the Anbu complied, for the other man was silent for a moment. "I figured as much. We'll have to have Inoichi deal with you then." The clone crawled down and out of the sleeve, crawling down onto the floor before slipping under the table and up onto the bottom of it right as Anko left the room with the man. The Anbu sat silent, as a blonde man with a ponytail stepped into the room. "Ibiki, you're going to have to restrain him." The other man, now known as Ibiki, and the assumed Inoichi stood before the table. Ibiki whistled, and a man with black hair tied loosely into a ponytail entered the room and lazily looked at Ibiki. "Yes?" "Hold him for us, will you?" "Do I have to? I was going to relax today." Inoichi groaned "All you Nara do is relax, even Shikaku does." The new man in the room sighed before nodding and holding a handsign "Kage-Kubishibari no Jutsu"(Shadow-Neck Binding Technique). Inoichi held a handsign of his own, closed his eyes, and put his hand forward. The clone couldn't determine where he was putting his hand, but it figured the original would find out somehow. Ibiki seemed to watch intently as the entire process occurred.

Moments later, Inoichi gasped and his eyes snapped open. The man breathed a bit heavily as Naruto heard the Anbu slump against the table. "Inoichi?" "The seal on his tongue, it killed him before I could find out anything." Ibiki replied with a grunt and turned and walked out, the other two following behind. "We'll have to burn the body then. I'll take no chances with this one" he said as the door slammed closed once again.

Not a single person noticed a small puff of smoke slip out from underneath the table.


	7. Chapter 7: Konoha 12

Naruto's brow furrowed in thought.

 _"Seems Danzo kept him from cracking at all. Something isn't right here."_ he thought. _"I'll have to find out more about this Danzo guy. Even if it takes me years."_ Naruto leapt off towards the library in search of answers.

* * *

TIMESKIP: 3 YEARS LATER

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the academy, resisting the urge to laugh.

 _"Finally, after today, I'll never have to come back to this place again."_

Walking straight in through the front door, he wandered the halls to the classroom, before going up and sitting at his usual spot. As usual, he nodded to Sasuke and Shikamaru. Over the last few years, Naruto and Shikamaru had become almost friends. Not as much as he and Sasuke were, but as close to friends as he could get. To him, even if he wouldn't admit it, Sasuke was almost a brother to him. Naruto shook his head and cleared his thoughts as Iruka began greeting the class.

"Hello class, today is the day of the exam! I hope you're all ready!" He smiled proudly at everyone. "Anyways, we'll start by calling each and every one of you up individually to take the exam. No if's, and's or but's!" He smiled as he heard a few groans. "Let's begin! Hinata, please come here." Hinata nodded quietly and quickly walked towards Iruka. A dozen exams later, it was Naruto's turn to take it. He stood silently from his seat, and made his way to the front of the room. All eyes were on him, curious to see him take the exam. "Alright Naruto, lets start with the Bunshin no Jutsu(Clone Jutsu)." Naruto nodded and held a single handsign "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." A single clone popped into existence. Iruka's eyes widened at the display _"Wh-what? H-how does he know such an advanced jutsu?"_ he thought, shocked. Naruto, noticing this, smirked and summoned a dozen more. Iruka nearly fainted at the sight of it, while all the students watched confusedly. "O-ok N-Naruto...lets move onto something different" Iruka said as he laughed nervously. "Shuriken Jutsu?" he asked, and Naruto instantly threw a dozen shuriken outlining Iruka perfectly, dispersing the clones as he threw them. Iruka gulped and stared at Naruto. "Ah ha, ah, well, how about a jutsu of your choice now?" He spoke nervously. Naruto supressed the urge to grin widely, as he held his wrist tightly and began to form chakra in his hand. Rotating the pure chakra, he pushed more chakra into it as a blue ball of chakra formed in his hand. A perfect sphere sat, spunning in his right hand with a light whirring noise.

Iruka and many of the students' jaws dropped at the sight. "H-how...how is that possible? N-Naruto..." fumbled Iruka. Naruto turned and looked Iruka dead in the eye and spoke blankly "I taught myself." He let the chakra fade into nothing as he let the Rasengan disperse. Naruto took his headband silently and pulled it over his head, letting it hang around his neck, as he walked back up to his seat. Soon, the entire class had taken their exam, and after a few failures were "excused", Iruka began to call out the teams. "Team 1 is..." and so on and so forth until it came to Team 7. "Team 7: Uzumaki Naruto...?" he said confusedly before continuing "Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. Your Jonin-Sensei is Hatake Kakashi."

Sakura leapt for joy as the two boys smirked at each other. _"_ _Seems our little scheme paid off"_ thought Naruto. Sasuke was having similar thoughts, and soon the rest of the teams had been called and left with their jonin-senseis. This left the three new genin alone to talk until the world's latest nin arrived. "Sasuke, I won't lie, I'm surprised this plan of yours worked." Sasuke smirked as Sakura's ecstatic grin began to fade into confusion. "It's far better than the plan you had, less suspicion." Naruto nodded and Sakura looked puzzled between them. "Scheme? What scheme? What's going on here?" Naruto simply turned and looked back out the window. Sasuke sighed at his antics and began to explain "Well, Naruto and I decided that we should be on one team together. We decided that Naruto would begin to fail everything just to make sure that he'd get paired up with me. Our third member we weren't quite sure about. You do know how the process of picking members for a team is, right?"

"What? Of course I do, psh" she waved it off, "I'm the smartest in the class." "Maybe in book smarts, Sakura, but not in anything else" replied Naruto, who continued to look out the window boredly. "What could you know, you're dead la..." she said as her eyes widened in realization. "W-wait, so, the person with the lowest class grade, goes with the person with the best ninja skills and class grades?" Sasuke nodded "Now you've got it. All that's left now is for Kakashi to show up."

* * *

 **AN:** So...uh...I may or may not have found out that this chapter didn't even go live when it was supposed to...and the doc was reverted back to when I first saved it (so like a sentence in) and I may have only just found out?

But anyways, I had to rewrite this chapter because of the chapter got reverted and didn't even go up (feelsbadman). Still, I hope you guys don't mind how short it is, I just really wanted to get a chapter out to you all since I owe you all that much. Oh, and I'm gonna push for two more chapters back-to-back to make up for this mishap, really sorry about all that.

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8: Jonin Sensei

After a couple of boring hours of waiting, a man with white, spiky. hair came through the doorway. The three genin stopped what they were doing and looked at him, noticing a certain book was in his hand and the other shoved into his pocket. Not even looking up, the veteran jonin spoke: "Meet me on the roof, 5 minutes. If you don't get there in time, you're going back to the academy". Less than a second later, the man poofed into smoke and was gone.

Naruto simply shunshin-ed up to the roof in mere moments, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow. "Seems I was right about you, you are better than your records show." Naruto simply shrugged in response and sat across from him. A few minutes later Sasuke and Sakura arrived on the roof as well. Both were surprised that Naruto had already been there, Sakura more than Sasuke since the two had trained quite a bit together. "Seems the rest of the gang has finally made it. Well, let's start with introductions. I suppose I should go first." Kakashi paused, before continuing "I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate? I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future? Never really thought about that. As for my hobbies... I have lots of hobbies."

Sakura sweat-dropped "All we know is your name...". The boys nodded and Kakashi turned to Naruto "So, blondie, name, likes and dislikes, dreams and hobbies?" The three watched him curiously as Naruto closed his eyes in thought. "Naruto Uzumaki, my likes...I suppose ramen, training, and learning my father's jutsu." All three were shocked, Kakashi because he wasn't sure Naruto knew who his father was, Sasuke because he knew Naruto had never met his father, and Sakura because she just about believed he had no father. "My dislikes...the villagers. They think a kunai is the same as the seal it's sealed in." This brought mixed reactions to the other three on the roof. Kakashi wasn't very surprised, Sasuke was confused, and Sakura was angry because she came from a civilian family. "Dreams for the future, eh? I suppose being the strongest would suffice. Hobbies...hm...training, I guess."

Sakura was furious for his comment about villagers and opened her mouth to scream at him, but one quick glare from Kakashi shut her up quickly. Sasuke looked between them curiously before realizing what it was about and nodding in agreement. "Alright raven-boy, you're next." Sasuke looked down at his feet and furrowed his brow in thought for a few moments, before finally looking up at Kakashi. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything, well except for training with Naruto I guess. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan...and hopefully avenge it." Kakashi raised an eyebrow, while Naruto nodded in approval and Sakura fawned over him as usual.

"Pinky, you're up." Sakura cleared her throat and began "My likes are...". She looked at Sasuke. "My dislikes are people who think they're the strongest. " "You pronounced 'know' wrong, and I am the strongest genin." Naruto corrected. Sakura scoffed and continued "My dreams are..." she looked at Sasuke again and blushed red. Sasuke didn't bother to respond, while Naruto had to resist the urge to beat her to an inch of her life. Kakashi simply sighed _"A fangirl...really?"_ "Alright, you have one final exam tomorrow. Meet at Training Ground Three, and don't eat unless you want to throw it all up." Kakashi gave them an eye smile before shunshin-ing away.

The three genin sat in silence for a few moments, before Naruto stood up. "I'm going to train...alone." Sasuke simply nodded and Sakura watched him with curiosity. In a moment, Naruto was gone via shunshin leaving only two. Sasuke got up as well and shook his head "He just wants to stay ahead of me" he thought out loud. Sakura simply nodded in agreement "So, Sasuke-kun, want to go get something to eat?" Sasuke simply shook his head and leapt off the rooftop, sprinting off towards the Uchiha Compound.

* * *

Naruto sat in silence in the forest behind his home and channeled the Kyuubi's chakra. It came quickly and ripped a few trees from the ground in an outward blast, his whiskers darkening, teeth and nails sharpening and so on and so forth. He'd even gained a single-tailed chakra cloak. _"Too much, I've got to control this better"_ he thought. Despite all of the training he had done over the course of the past years, he hadn't really gotten around to working with the Kyuubi's chakra. Much to Bijuu's ire, Naruto hadn't thought of it as a priority. Instead, he focused on his ninjutsu and a bit of taijutsu, as well as conditioning his body. He wasn't a hulking mass of muscle or anything, but he had some muscle and his almost limitless chakra could supply any needed strength anyways. Now that he was genin, he'd decided he would learn to wield the chakra properly.

 _ **"You're pulling too much. You're only able to control this much so quickly because of your strong will."** "Did you just complement me?" **"Not a chance, focus on your training."**_ Naruto smirked and shook his head. Over the years Naruto had also grown somewhat closer with his tenant. He figured he would need some kind of synergy for the chakra cloak to work as well as he could make it. Overall, things had gone well and the two hadn't had very much trouble with one another. _"I should really create some techniques with the chakra."_ From within the seal, the Kyuubi's head rose slowly, coming to realize he had the exact answer to his container's question.

 ** _"You seek a technique? Very well, channel my chakra into your fist, and punch head-on into one of these trees."_** Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Nonetheless, Naruto complied and channeled a high amount of chakra into his fist, and punched straight into the nearest tree. The tree shattered everywhere within three feet of the impact. Even a shockwave rippled through the tree and blasted the tree behind it. Naruto stared at the destruction. _"This is...does this work well on people as well?"_ Naruto asked. The Kyuubi grinned _**"Yes, it does. I watched first-hand how that devastates single targets. Your mother used to do this when she became angry. If it were an enemy nin, she would actually vaporize whatever she hit."**_ Naruto imagined the damage he could deal with a technique like that and grinned. _"We may just get along yet." **"Don't push it."**_

* * *

 **AN:**

So the first chapter of the back-to-back promise is out!

The next chapter will come tomorrow so don't worry guys!

Hope you enjoyed!


	9. Chapter 9: A Sharingan Awakens

Naruto got up early and made some instant ramen to eat before Kakashi's little "test". Despite his new sensei's warnings, Naruto still decided it was a good idea to at least have something to eat. Quickly finishing the ramen, he headed out to the training ground for a bit of training beforehand.

* * *

Naruto took a look around the clearing to get a feel of his surroundings. _"Kakashi seemed a bit suspicious about all that...should be prepared."_ ** _"Forget his little 'test', use this time to continue to train your techniques. It's likely you'll be fighting the man or at least do some kind of fighting."_** _"How would you know?" **"Your father was his sensei, you think his wife wouldn't hear of the little test he gave his students too?"**_ Naruto stopped in his tracks and blinked in surprise. _**"I know what you want, train first, ask later."**_ Naruto nodded in agreement and set about training.

* * *

A few hours later, Sasuke and Sakura had arrived. The two were equally shocked by the destruction they saw. The trees surrounding the clearing were either completely destroyed, gone, or blown away. In the middle of it all sat Naruto with a red chakra cloak. Sakura trembled at his sharpened teeth, nails, and spiked hair. She fell to the floor from the pressure and struggled to breath. Sasuke held his ground, yet he still struggled with the immense power Naruto wielded. _"This...this is from...that day..."_ Sasuke realized. He instinctively backed up a couple feet, and that was when Naruto's eyes snapped open. The red, slitted eyes stared straight into Sasuke's eyes. In an instant, Naruto was in front of Sasuke with a feral grin and punched Sasuke in his stomach.

Sasuke coughed up blood and his eyes widened in surprise, before crying out in agony and being launched a few feet away. The corrosive chakra burned him and Naruto stood up completely. He grinned madly and stared at Sasuke. **"Recognize this, don't you Sasuke? You know exactly what this is."** Naruto spoke in a distorted, deeper voice. Sasuke coughed blood again and picked his head up in shock. "You..." Sasuke had no time to finish, as Naruto shot forward again and punched him straight in the chest. Sasuke coughed up even more blood. The sheer power of it all put Sakura into absolute shock. She couldn't do anything but watch in horror and shake with fear. She fought the urge to let go and fall unconscious, she needed to make sure Sasuke would survive.

Naruto leapt back and shot forward once again, albeit much slower. Sasuke leaned back, watching Naruto's fist pass over his head. _"I...I can see now...I can see!"_

Naruto raised an eyebrow then smiled darkly, letting the Bijuu chakra fade. "Good, my plan worked." Sakura gasped for breath as the pressure faded instantly, desperately trying to get some air. "Plan?" she choked out, "You just...that was...". "The chakra of a certain beast I won't name. So smarty, what's the only beast to ever come to this village? Now do you understand the scorn I've always taken?"

Suddenly, she began putting the pieces together, each piece fitting perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. "Th-the Kyuubi..." she said in shock. Naruto smirked "Seems you're getting it now. I wouldn't have given you these hints, but knowing you would have figured it out anyways from that little display, I figured you might as well know. That hatred, isn't just _his_." Sakura backed up a little, scared. "Now, Sasuke, tell me what you can see with those eyes now." "I see...a lot." "That really helps, no matter, Kakashi is supposed to be here soon, so we should get ready. It's a team-building exercise, we just need to work together and we'll be genin."

* * *

 **AN:**

Sorry for the delay, I was studying for finals and got my crap taken away to ensure I studied (don't ask me why, I'm not even sure).

Anyways, this chapter is short because it's setting up for the first _real_ fight of the story. Stay tuned and get ready for the bell test next chapter!

Hope you enjoyed!


	10. Chapter 10: Team 7's Test!

As Naruto finished explaining his plan to Sasuke and Sakura, Kakashi finally arrived. "Yo!" he said with an eye-smile, the signature book in hand. "You're late" growled Sakura. Kakashi explained that he had to help an old lady with her groceries, but none of them bought the generic excuse.

"So, let me explain this test. You three have to get these bells from me." He held up the aforementioned bells then looped them into the side of his waist. "Whoever doesn't get a bell, goes back to the Academy. Any questions? No? Great, let's start."

Sasuke ran off to the left side, while Sakura went the opposite way moments later. Kakashi inwardly smirked, seeing that they were working independently, rather than together. Naruto grinned darkly, knowing full well that the two would not get in the way when he channeled _that_ chakra. "Kakashi. Put the book down." Kakashi simply raised an eyebrow, then looked up at him. "Eh? Why's that blondie?" "Because I'm right behind you" spoke a voice. Kakashi whipped around only to see another charge him. Kakashi simply dodged the clone's attacks and kicked it, dispersing it into smoke. _"Kage Bunshin? How does he know that technique?"_ Kakashi turned back to the original, slipping the book into his pocket.

"Kakashi, are you willing to take me seriously now?" "Mmm, I guess, show me whatcha got, blondie." Naruto grinned, as a dark red chakra bubbled out and over him. Kakashi's eye widened _"The Kyuubi's chakra! He can control it?!"._ Naruto grinned as the chakra altered his appearance. He let it soak through his pathways, saturating them with the burning chakra. His body writhed against it, but Naruto refused to give in. As more and more chakra poured out, he roared in pain, reigning in control of the immense, hateful chakra that permeated his mind and body. _**"Careful, boy, you may soon give yourself to me."**_ _"Not a chance."_ Naruto stood, grinning madly as the wind whipped around him. He let his eyes swirl with three, black tomoe, his hair spiking and his teeth and nails extending and sharpening.

 **"Now, Kakashi"** spoke Naruto in a distorted voice, **"will you take me seriously?"** Kakashi narrowed his eye, before pulling up his headband and opening his left eye. Naruto's eyes widened, staring at the Sharingan. **"You aren't an Uchiha, whose eye is that?"** "An old friend, whose eyes are those?" Kakashi asked, looking back at him. **"Mine."** Kakashi's eyes widened in shock, as Naruto shot forward with great speed. _"Fast!"_ Kakashi slipped between two fists quickly before striking out with a kick to the head, instantly regretting it as the potent chakra burned his leg, flinching and leaping away. "I knew you weren't a pushover, Naruto, but this is far beyond my expectations." Naruto grinned viciously, baring his teeth as he gritted them in agony. _**"You can't keep this up for long, Naruto. You have only...five minutes. If you hadn't burned up all your energy training earlier, you would have had much more time."**_

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura met back up far behind the two, hiding behind trees. Sakura could barely stand as it was, while Sasuke did not fare much better. "O-ok, Sakura, we have to get the bells when Naruto shows us an opportunity. Got it?" Sakura nodded quietly, shivering in fear. "G-got it, S-Sasuke." Sasuke noticed the lack of "-kun" at the end, but didn't mention it. The two simply waited in silence, looking for when Naruto let the fox's chakra dissipate.

* * *

Naruto shot forward again with a shunshin, channeling chakra into his hands and feet for additional strength and speed. He swung up at Kakashi with his right hand, Kakashi leaning under the fist as Naruto spun low with a sweeping kick. Kakashi narrowly missed what would have been a debilitating strike to the center of the thigh. _"That would have shattered my femur with that speed and strength, I can't hold back if he reaches me."_ Naruto continued on the offensive, lunging forward and feinting a left handed strike to the side, pivoting and spinning off the momentum into a back-heel kick to the head. Kakashi leaned forward as the left hand passed by, swiping across his jacket and burning some of it away before ducking under Naruto's kick. Naruto grinned as Kakashi fell head first into his trap, continuing the arcing motion of the foot before the chakra tail slammed into his jaw, sending him spiralling away and crashing through a tree and into another. Naruto laughed madly as he watched the fruits of his training appear before his eyes. Unfortunately, "Kakashi" erupted into smoke, leaving only the bells behind. _**"Idiot. It's a genjutsu"**_. The genjutsu wore off as the Kyuubi pushed a small amount of its chakra into Naruto's system. Naruto growled, cursing himself for having fallen to such a stupid trick. However, he could not let up now. He searched around for the now missing Kakashi and bells. He honed his senses as best he could and snarled when he caught sight of Kakashi's chakra signature, smaller than before, but still there. He launched himself forward and into the air, right to the clearing where Kakashi stood.

* * *

 _"The damn kid is a monster, he's strong enough to beat me if I don't fight this correctly. I have to surprise him, or force him to waste time. His taijutsu is bizarre. It seems to be intended to take advantage of people underestimating him, considering he's only a child. Hell, even his taijutsu complements the powers of both that Sharingan and the Kyuubi."_ Kakashi continued to come up with a strategy, he didn't know if he could take too many hits from the boy.

Kakashi had only moments before a deep, distorted voice roared above **"Katon: Goka Messhitsu!"** (Fire Style: Majestic Demolisher Flame). A massive stream of flames spewed from Naruto's mouth, forcing Kakashi away. _"He'll take out the entire forest like this!"_ Naruto grinned and leapt straight into the flames, towards Kakashi. Kakashi, blinded by the saturated Katon chakra, attempted to douse the flames. "Suiton: Suijinheki!"(Water Style: Water Formation Wall). Kakashi spewed water from his mouth, attempting to douse the nearby flames. **"Graaaaagh!"** Naruto flew through the flames, his right hand thrust forward with a Rasengan at the palm, the center a light purple. _"This is bad!"_ thought Kakashi as he leapt to one side, watching Naruto's hand crash into the ground forming a sizable crater. Kakashi's eyes widened and he jumped farther away. _"I can't tell if Naruto is really in control or not, I have to try and calm him down!"_ "Naruto! Stop this! Don't let him win!" Naruto cackled with rage. **"You think he's in control? You're wrong, Kakashi. I'm in control!"** roared Naruto. Kakashi watched him howl in pain before he fell to the ground, gripping his head in agony. He screamed as the chakra slowly began to recede, falling face first into the ground. His physical features slowly reverted to normal, the nails shortening and dulling, his teeth following suite. Naruto lifted his head slowly, pushing himself up off the ground shakily. He laughed dryly, exhausted. "You...you're lucky I used most of my chakra controlling _his_ before you got here." Naruto laughed again, falling to one knee and breathing heavily. Kakashi walked over to him warily, careful to make sure he wasn't under the fox's control. "Relax, Kakashi, I'm me, always have been. That hatred was only partially his, it's mostly mine at that level." Naruto stood again, a bit steadier. Naruto smirked at Kakashi, then began to walk back to the original clearing. "I could have kept up that form for a bit longer, but oh well. Besides, we already won." Kakashi's eyes widened in shock as his hand flew to his side, feeling nothing but the clothing on his body. He looked back up, seeing Sasuke and Sakura holding a bell each. Kakashi's mouth remained open for a moment, before he quickly shut it and pulled his headband back over his eye. "This...this is going to be hell..." Kakashi thought out loud. Sasuke smirked and Sakura laughed nervously at the answer before the two wandered back to original clearing.

After spending an hour dousing the flames that Naruto had created, Kakashi returned to the clearing to find Sasuke and Sakura holding an actual conversation while Naruto sat up in a nearby tree relaxing. "Oh, Kakashi-sensei! You're back!" Sakura called out, grinning ear-to-ear at him. "Yeah, yeah, I'm back" replied Kakashi with a sigh. "Oi, Naruto." "Hm?" "You're going to stay, the other two can leave but be back tomorrow morning at 9." "Okay Kakashi-sensei, bye guys!" waved Sakura with a smile as she left. Sasuke simply snorted in amusement and walked off after her.

Naruto dropped down from the tree to find Kakashi glaring at him. "Naruto, don't ever do that again. Unless you have Hokage-sama's approval, do _not_ do that again. Do you understand me?" "Yeah, yeah, I overdid it I know. Hey, but I made you take me seriously, didn't I?" Kakashi sighed "Yes, Naruto, you did. Now, be back here at 8, I want to talk to you about some things regarding your family. Also, after training tomorrow, go and talk to Might Gai, he'll help you improve your taijutsu style." Naruto simply nodded and began to walk away before Kakashi finished. "Naruto, I don't want to have to force you to cooperate." "Look, sensei, I understand. It's not like I'm genuinely trying to kill you. I wanted to test my power, what better opportunity than a former-Anbu?" Naruto smirked as he turned back to Kakashi, flashing his Sharingan. "Tomorrow, I'll tell you what you'd like to hear." Kakashi nodded with a sigh of relief, watching Naruto leave the training grounds completely before heading towards the Hokage Tower.

* * *

Naruto walked out of the training ground as his other two teammates flanked him as he walked home. "You know, Sakura, you may not be as bad as I thought. Is Sasuke the reason you changed so drastically?" Sakura blushed a little before getting angry at him. "How shallow do you think I am!" "Very." "Oh shut up!" she whined. Sasuke smirked at her and she blushed a little again, turning back forward. "Anyway, what did Kakashi ask you about?" "Essentially, he wants to know everything, which is fair. There are things you need to learn as well, if we are to succeed as a team at least." Sakura nodded, satisfied with that answer before Sasuke snorted. "You're only telling her because you have to." "Good observation Sasuke, perhaps even better than an Anbu." Sasuke simply gave him a dirty look.

"Team 7, lead by Kakashi Hatake, made up of Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. I guess it's a start."

* * *

 **AN:**

Hey guys, I'm back! Hope you didn't miss me too much! Anyways, I hope this is a decent chapter for you all, I tried to make this one longer but I'm still having a bit of issue making longer chapters. I'm going to hope that I can continue to improve upon the length of these chapters and hopefully I can continue to improve my fight writing as well. I'm going to try and make chapters more often too, but I can't promise anything yet!

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	11. Chapter 11: A C-Rank Mission?

\- TIME SKIP: 2 MONTHS LATER -

* * *

Naruto had finally started to get his taijutsu style to be exactly the way he had hoped it would be. Training sessions with Might Gai, despite how long and difficult they were, helped him immensely. Now he had both speed and strength without having to rely on chakra to augment his speed and strength. Gai gave him increasing weights for him to wear in order to constantly improve his speed and strength. With all the people he could learn from, he almost never stopped training, unless his body gave out. It was brutally difficult at times, but Naruto would never budge from his training regimen. He'd learned quite a lot of things during the past two months. Since the team had begun doing missions, which were D-Rank jokes, he was sending clones to do his part. In the meantime, the real Naruto was training his taijutsu with Gai. He also sent clones to continue learning about the Hiraishin, which he'd made a frustratingly small amount of progress on. He'd figured out that the jutsu required great skill in fuinjutsu(Sealing Jutsu) and was capable of creating a sort of pocket dimension in which the user would travel to in order to teleport to a target location.

So, he turned to fuinjutsu in order to figure it out. He had more shadow clones studying fuinjutsu than any other subject due to his frustration with the legendary jutsu. He even turned to blackmailing the old Hokage to give him the Nidaime's notes on the Hiraishin so he would have two sources to learn from. Naruto hated that he was struggling so much with the Hiraishin. It irked him to no end, leading to multiple training grounds being destroyed in frustration. Naruto understood that he would not be able to learn every jutsu as quickly as the last, but it still gnawed at him that he hadn't even figured out the basis of the jutsu yet. Nonetheless, he refused to stop training his body, mind, and arsenal.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes, letting his two tailed chakra cloak fade out. He already knew who had arrived at _his_ estate, shunshin-ing to the front yard to meet with his sensei. "Ah, Naruto, training as usual?" Naruto simply shrugged in reply, before starting to walk with him. "Naruto, the Hokage has requested a meeting with Team 7, think you can beat me there?" Kakashi teased, hoping to force out some of Naruto's past emotions of joy, amusement, playful-ness. Over the past couple of months, Kakashi had noticed the only time that he ever had anything close to any of these emotions was in battle. Naruto seemed to revel in the intensity of training, or any fight for that matter. Naruto seemed to find a sort of thrill in fighting, which made Kakashi fear Naruto's reaction to real battles. He worried that Naruto would become similar to the greatest villain Konoha had ever seen: Uchiha Madara. He had never known it, but Madara reveled in battle. Naruto seemed to be getting more and more similar to Madara. They both reveled in battle, had an immensely powerful hate, and a relative control over the Kyuubi's power. The more that Naruto trained and worked towards becoming stronger, the more he itched to fight someone strong. Kakashi hoped that this desire would cease to exist once Naruto had seen the horrors of real battle, of real fighting, of real life-and-death situations.

"Kakashi...when are we going to have a _real_ mission? I tired of those tedious D-Ranks within the first rank. My strength is wasted on those menial tasks." "Naruto, what have I said before? It's-" " _Our_ strength, not mine. Yeah, yeah, I know." Kakashi inwardly smiled at the fact that Naruto had at the very least remembered his words. Although, it would be some time before Naruto genuinely felt that way. Kakashi knew, and understood, why Naruto thought that way though. He understood that Naruto was completely alone for almost all of his life. The only time he wasn't alone, besides when Team 7 was formed, was when he was first starting to make friends before the Uchiha Massacre. "Kakashi, this meeting had better be about a real mission. Otherwise, I'm just sending a clone for the 'mission'." Kakashi simply nodded and glanced over at Naruto. Kakashi had thought that Naruto hadn't really picked up on the very minute hint, but he had. Naruto's minute change in facial expression around the cheeks and lips was enough to give it away to Kakashi. _"So he is observant, but he doesn't seem to say anything about it"_ Kakashi thought to himself. Within a moment, Kakashi was leaping towards the Hokage tower with Naruto in tow. Within a few minutes they had arrived, with both of them coming through one window.

* * *

Sasuke glanced out the window, noticing two figures moving quickly towards the Hokage's office. "Hokage-sama, Naruto and Kakashi are here." "Hmmm?" mumbled the old Hokage, as the two smashed through a window. Both of them, much to the Sandaime's ire, acted completely casual about it. "Kakashi, Naruto-kun, I would prefer if you would stop doing that." "Ah, apologies, Sandaime-sama" said Kakashi carelessly. The old Hokage simply sighed and shuffled a stack of papers. "Team 7, I have a C-Rank Mission for you today." Naruto's mouth instantly widened into a dark grin. Sakura smiled nervously and Sasuke sported a small smirk, and even Kakashi lowered the book to listen. "You are to escort this man, Tazuna, back to his home of Nami no Kuni(Land of Waves). Naruto glanced back at the older man, who had clearly drank a bit too much while he was waiting for someone to take his mission. "Yer giving me just a bunch a kids? I need more than that!" Tazuna said as he hiccuped. Tazuna gave an indignant huff before having a kunai held to his throat almost instantly. "Naruto, we don't attack our clients. Besides, do you really want to end this mission before it even begins?" Tazuna, feeling the cold steel of the kunai resting against his throat, widened his eyes in surprise and began to panic. Before Tazuna could completely freak out, however, Naruto lowered his hand with a grunt before walking to the shattered window. "Kakashi, when do we meet for this mission?" "Two hours, Naruto, meet at the front gate." "Naruto simply nodded and shunshin-ed out onto the rooftops before leaping off towards home. Hiruzen gave a sigh at Naruto's antics before dismissing the remaining members of Team 7 as well as Tazuna.

* * *

When Naruto arrived home, he began to pack his things. Naruto quickly grabbed extra copies of notes on dozens of jutsu as well as the Hiraishin notes. He knew that he would see real combat soon, so he'd prepared extra copies of things he was in the process of learning. He also grabbed extra notes on the Uchiha and the Mangekyou Sharingan, in case someone died. He figured that he should be prepared for anything, including the possible awakening of his or Sasuke's Mangekyou. The only person's death he felt could awaken his Mangekyou was Sasuke, but he would not kill Sasuke. For this. he felt somewhat weak for not being able to do it despite having more than enough opportunity to do so. Sasuke, on the other hand, would likely awaken his Mangekyou from the deaths of any Team 7 members. Naruto could tell that he had grown attached to each member of Team 7, which somehow included Sakura. While Naruto couldn't understand how Sasuke had even ended up growing attached to them, he did envy Sasuke in a way. Sasuke had connections, he wasn't hated for something he couldn't control, and he was praised as the "Last Uchiha". Naruto hated that moniker with every fiber of his being. He still desired acknowledgement, but not as a friend, as a superior. The only acknowledgement he wanted was that he was a powerful shinobi, stronger than any genin or chunin. The only people that could defeat him, he understood, were jonin. That was to be expected however, as he was still only a genin for two months.

Naruto was pulled from his musings by his tenant. _**"Oi, Naruto...don't die on your first mission. You'd ruin everything."** "I have nothing to worry about. A mere C-Rank means nothing but fun for me." _The fox simply gave a "hmph" before returning to sleep. Naruto simply shook his head and walked outside from his house. _"I have some time to kill, perhaps I'll take a trip down memory lane. After this mission, I'll understand who I really am, and I'll finally move on from the past."_ Naruto leapt from building to building, eventually landing across the street from Ichiraku Ramen. Naruto smirked a little, remembering how naive he once was. "Time to put the dead to rest" Naruto said to himself. Naruto dropped down from the building, walking into the little shop. Naruto simply sat in the nearest stool and requested a single bowl. "Sure, Mr..." Ayame's eyes widened and her mouth opened in surprise, "Naruto?!". When Teuchi heard that name, he came to the front with a small smile. "Ah, Naruto, one bowl is all you want?" "That will be all, Teuchi" replied Naruto respectfully. Teuchi simply nodded, understanding the hint and returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Ayame missed the memo and asked Naruto a couple of questions. "Where've you been, Naruto? We've missed you, you were our-" "Number one customer, I knew that." "Naruto, don't be like this, let me see that old smile of yours, come on, please?" begged Ayame. Naruto simply gave a sigh, and looked up into her eyes, glaring at her with his Sharingan. Ayame gasped in shock and instinctively stepped back a few steps before running to the kitchen.

Within a few minutes, the ramen was brought out to Naruto by Teuchi. "I apologize for letting her pester you, Naruto, I won't let it happen again." "Good" replied Naruto curtly. Teuchi went back to the kitchen as Naruto began to eat his meal, enjoying himself a little as he ate. He'd almost laughed out loud reminiscing about this place. Almost was the keyword, as when he felt a hint of a laugh coming on he ceased his inner musings and shut away those emotions. He refused to be seen as the grinning idiot, the village clown. He refused to be anything close to that ever again. Soon, he'd finished his bowl of ramen, left just enough money to pay for his meal, and leapt away again, heading to the village gate.

* * *

Naruto arrived and sat against a wall, deciding to relax and unwind a bit before the mission began. His inner turmoil remained at large, unable to come up with a decision on how he really felt. He wasn't sure how he truly felt about the ninja world, his friends, or even his own morals. When he originally came to post-incident, Naruto had decided that the current world was worthless. He decided that it was all simply meaningless and he had no reason to give any care to any other human beings. However, the last two months he spent with Team 7 had started to change that. He had started to feel some kind of...bond...with them. He was already connected to Sasuke through their training sessions during the Academy days, yet their bond grew. They had, in a sense, reached an almost brother-like bond. Neither would admit it, yet the bond was there. Naruto knew it was there, yet he hated it. He didn't have the strength to kill Sasuke and unlock the Mangekyou. He hated that he couldn't bring himself to seize the power he so desperately desired. He wanted to take the power for himself, but he just didn't have the strength to do it.

* * *

"Oi, Naruto, it's time."

Naruto opened his eyes slowly to see Kakashi standing casually. Kakashi gave him an eye-smile before tilting his head towards the village gate. Naruto simply stood from his resting position. "You're one to talk about time, Kakashi." Kakashi simply smirked a bit under his mask before shrugging and walking to the gate. Sakura, Sasuke, and Tazuna had already been standing outside, waiting for the two to come. Naruto and Kakashi walked out together to the rest of the group before the 5 began to walk, on the path to Nami no Kuni.

* * *

 **AN:** So here's the next chapter! It's a little later than I really wanted it to be, but nonetheless, it's here. I hope everyone likes it, and I'll be releasing another chapter soon enough!

Stay tuned for the Wave Mission Arc!


	12. Chapter 12: Missing Nin Attack!

As the group walked along the path, they crossed a small river using a small bridge across it. Naruto looked around curiously, Sharingan active. He had his Sharingan active for the entire time, to the point that even Kakashi was a bit curious as to why he had it active. _"There's no reason to be blindsided on such a simple mission, and I refuse to return in failure. I won't do any of those worthless D-Ranks ever again."_ With that answer, no one had ever bothered him about it again.

As they walked Naruto noticed a surprisingly large amount of chakra inside a few nearby puddles. He looked over to Kakashi, glancing between him and the puddles. Kakashi seemed to understand, nodding a bit before turning forward. Once they were more than a few feet away from the puddles, very quiet splashes erupted from two of the puddles. As soon as he heard them, Naruto turned around. As soon as he turned he saw the two nin, clad in strange metallic gauntlets on one hand with a chain connecting them as well as horned headbands with Kiri symbols. The two also had similar face masks and clothing. Naruto shot forward, channeling the Kyuubi's chakra a bit to enhance his strength, shattering the connecting chain before throwing his arm forward with his hand out, slamming into one's throat and gripping his throat tightly. Naruto continued his movement forward until he'd slammed the strange shinobi into a tree, still holding him by the throat. He pushed more of the Kyuubi's chakra into his hand, burning the shinobi's neck and throat. The man hissed and writhed in agony, coughing up blood. "Gozu!" shouted the other. Kakashi quickly moved in front of him, stopping him from reaching his friend.

"Sakura, Sasuke, Tazuna...if you aren't ready to see a man die, then look away now." Sakura began to step away slowly, terrified of what Naruto might do. _"No! I can't be like this! I have to be brave, even if it's death!"_ thought Sakura before stopping her movements and standing her ground. Kakashi kicked his opponent against a tree, before shouting to Naruto to stop. Sasuke watched as Naruto ruthlessly closed his grip on "Gozu's" throat and crushed it, eliciting a strangled cry. The man coughed blood into the mask and it dripped out from his mask and onto Naruto's face. Ignoring the warm blood dripping on his face and arm, he pulled a kunai from his belt and plunged it into the man's abdomen, splattering blood on his clothes. The man released another strangled scream of pain and more blood dripped from his mask. By this point, Kakashi had already beaten and tied up his partner, watching Naruto's savage execution. Naruto shoved the kunai deeper before completely crushing the man's throat. The man grabbed at his neck before succumbing to both the pain and his injuries, dying as Naruto released his grip, watching his now lifeless corpse slide down the tree. Each member of Team 7 carried a separate reaction to Naruto's actions. Kakashi widened his eye in both surprise and some degree of disgust, Sasuke widened his eyes in horror of his friend's ruthless killing, and Sakura outright threw up in disgust. Tazuna was simply cowering away from the sight and almost threw up despite only hearing the agonizing death of the Kiri nin.

"Naruto! You know you shouldn't have done that!" "Kakashi, we all need to have our first kills at some point, I've only made things easier for the other two" replied Naruto bluntly. Kakashi opened his mouth to reply in anger, before he stopped himself and decided on a different course of action. "Naruto, there's no reason for that level of...brutality." Naruto didn't respond, he simply wiped the blood from his face and arm before turning to the other nin. He walked slowly towards the man, making an attempt to seem more intimidating to the tied up man. He knelt down before him and spoke "talk, now, or I'll kill you too." The other nin was too in shock to immediately respond. Naruto didn't approve of the delay and punched the man in the gut. "I said, talk." The man coughed a bit of blood before beginning to speak. "We...I'm...a missing-nin from Kiri...Gozu was too...We were the "Demon Brother's"..." "Is that all? Give me a reason not to kill you too and take your head for what I assume would be a decent bounty" growled Naruto. The man gulped and quivered in terror of the boy "I-I'm worth the same amount alive...pl-please, don't kill me...". "Naruto, let him live...there's no reason to kill him. He's an unarmed, defenseless man." "I don't see any reason to jeopardize this mission whatsoever, sensei." "Naruto. Let. Him. Live." Naruto glared back at Kakashi, before sighing and standing up. "Fine, I'm still going to take the other one's body though. I don't see any reason not to cash them in. I'll take responsibility for both." Naruto walked to Gozu's body and pulled out a small scroll, making the corpse disappear. "There, body is disposed of, for now." He created a Kage Bunshin and had it carry the other Demon Brother. Before long, after Sakura had finished vomiting and Sasuke had overcome his shock, the five of them were on their way again to Nami no Kuni.

* * *

Eventually, the five of them were on a boat owned by a friend of Tazuna's. Before long, Naruto asked what everyone was thinking. "Tazuna, this isn't a C-Rank mission. Tell us why you've lied. Why are there shinobi after us?" Tazuna gulped "Ahhh, well...there's uh...some bad things happening...in Nami no Kuni..." "Quit stalling. Speak" commanded Naruto, letting his eyes spin into the Sharingan. "Or I'll take the information my self." Tazuna was visibly terrified and backed away subconsciously. "A wealthy b-businessman, Gato, has taken control. H-he's turned it into a terrible place. I-I'm trying to build a bridge in order to save my people. I d-didn't have the money to buy anything h-higher...please...help us..." Naruto turned to Kakashi "If we succeed and free Nami no Kuni, we're bound to look better for future clients, and in turn the village will have more money coming in. Besides, if this Gato has the entire nation under his thumb, Konoha could take over his businesses and earn much more money". Kakashi raised an eyebrow "You seemed to have expected something like this to be the case, Naruto". Naruto simply shrugged and looked back out over the water "I didn't expect this, no, but I did expect there to be some shady dealings going on. Those shinobi were what, chunin? It's not hard to see that clearly someone with money is out to get Tazuna. The two weren't just there for no reason." He glanced at the scroll with Gozu's corpse and then Meizu's unconscious body.

* * *

After the boat ride, the five were walking the rest of the way. Naruto pulled his headband from his neck, before wrapping it around his forehead. The others noticed, but didn't have time to ask. "Sakura, Sasuke, duck!" The two ducked as well as Kakashi and Naruto, although those two didn't need to be told to duck. Naruto had already activated his Sharingan before he even saw the blade pass over his head. With his Sharingan, he saw a figure with a large amount of chakra, rivaling Kakashi's chakra. _"A Jonin level shinobi, attacking all of us? No, he seems different. He has more chakra than Kakashi. He's likely another Kiri shinobi. His chakra also seems...darker. Not quite as dark as mine or the Kyuubi's, but darker than anyone else here. He must be somewhat important, at the least"_ thought Naruto. The man landed, sliding away as he caught his footing. He grinned, his expression filled with malice. "Sharingan no Kakashi(Kakashi of the Sharingan)...ehehe...hand over the old man." "Not happening, Zabuza, Demon of Kirigakure." Zabuza grinned at the moniker, before sprinting forward to strike at Kakashi. The resounding noise of Zabuza's blade against a kunai could be heard across the clearing. Kakashi's eye widened, seeing a chakra-cloaked Naruto standing in front of him. Naruto stood in front of Kakashi, struggling to hold Zabuza's blade from reaching him. **"Don't be so surprised, Kakashi, now move!"** growled Naruto, letting Zabuza's blade slide down the side of the kunai before ducking under the blade. Zabuza hadn't expected the boy to shift his weight so suddenly and with such skill that he was caught by surprise. His eyes widened as he watched the boy as he lunged forward with his fist forward, going straight for Zabuza's stomach. Zabuza's eyes narrowed, smirking as he let Naruto close the gap before slamming his blade down in front of Naruto's hand. Cold steel struck against Naruto's hand before Zabuza leapt away, forming hand signs. "Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!(Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu)" Naruto flipped back, sliding away as the dragon crashed down where he was only a moment ago. Naruto jumped back to Kakashi, holding his kunai out in front of him in reverse grip. **"Kakashi, he's around the same level as you are, right?"** Kakashi nodded, silently applauding Naruto's for being so observant. "Yeah, he's at the same level as I am. Be careful, Naruto."

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura watched in awe, seeing Naruto leap in front of Kakashi and nearly land a hit on the Kiri shinobi. "Sakura, protect Tazuna." Sakura nodded in response before watching Sasuke leap over and next to Kakashi. **"Sasuke, he's at the same level of Kakashi, be careful and be smart."** Sasuke nodded and pulled his own kunai out, ready to fight. "I'll be the lead, you two, follow me!" ordered Kakashi before he began running towards Zabuza. Leaping into the air, Kakashi weaved the same handsigns as Zabuza did only moments before. Zabuza watched as Kakashi fired off a near identical water dragon towards him. Zabuza narrowed his eyes and quickly ran through his own handsigns. "Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!(Water Style: Water Bullet Technique!)" Zabuza shot his jutsu straight through the neck of the dragon, cleaving its head clean off and sending it crashing down into the earth. Naruto channeled more of the Kyuubi's chakra, pushing him into a two-tailed state. The hateful chakra bubbled wildly as it further strengthened him. Naruto's speed increased drastically allowing him to reach Zabuza incredibly quickly. Zabuza's eyes widened as he realized the danger he was in. Zabuza held up the blade to block Naruto's Rasengan and watched as the jutsu crashed through the blade. Zabuza had barely enough time to jump away before the Rasengan went completely through and reached him. Naruto grinned seeing as he'd almost overpowered his opponent. Naruto's Rasengan crashed into the ground as Zabuza avoided the attack. The Rasengan created a large crater where it hit, making Zabuza much more wary of the boy. He realized the boy was a jinchuriki and therefore far more dangerous than he initially believed. Naruto watched as Sasuke charged towards Zabuza from the side. Zabuza formed a few handsigns before whispering a few words and another version of himself appeared. Sasuke, unable to tell the difference between the clone and the original, charged forward at the closest one. "Chidori!" roared Sasuke as he plunged his left hand into the side of what turned out to be a clone. He was then shocked by his own jutsu as the water from the clone drenched him. The lighting chakra in his jutsu mixed with the water caused him to be electrocuted by the combination. Sasuke convulsed by the sudden amount of lightning chakra assaulting his body.

Naruto saw how helpless Sasuke was made by the combined jutsu and ran into action, shoving Sasuke out of the way as Zabuza formed another clone and ran through another set of handsigns. "Suiro no Jutsu!(Water Prison Jutsu)" Naruto was caught in the jutsu and felt the water surround and trap him inside. _"I'm going to drown if I don't get out quickly. Dammit, how could I be caught with such an obvious jutsu? I'm still weak..."_ thought a frustrated Naruto. "Kakashi, hand over the builder or the boy dies. You know how much he's worth to the village. Hand him over and I won't kill the twerp." Naruto grit his teeth hearing the muffled words through the suffocating bubble. Naruto felt himself losing hold over his own body, losing his breath and chakra cloak. Naruto watched as Sasuke and Kakashi regrouped and attempted to formulate a plan to free him. Kakashi ran at Zabuza as he formed another water clone and sent it to deal with Sasuke. Kakashi wasn't able to stop Zabuza from forming the clone but he was able to kick him away, preventing him from creating more clones. Zabuza then threw his blade to the clone holding Naruto prison, then engaged Kakashi in taijutsu while his clone denied Sasuke from reaching Naruto. Naruto watched as the clone holding him prisoner grinned from behind the mask and heaved the blade over his head before slamming it down through the prison and down Naruto's chest.

* * *

 **AN:** I kind of forgot to add this in when I first released this chapter, so I'm just coming back to add this in. Oh, and I fixed a few little errors I made while writing that I happened to miss.

So this chapter I wanted to show more of Naruto's current character, how he's developed and how he sees things a bit. I slipped in a small similarity between another Uchiha's actions in Part 1 and the current Naruto. I felt that the two were relatively similar and that they were both holding some degree of cruelty and for person I'm trying to bring comparisons to, the dark parts of their characters. I tried to make this chapter longer but of course I simply wasn't able to. Hopefully I can make the next chapter 3k+ words and make it more exciting.

Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13: Eyes that Reflect the Heart

"Narutoooo!" shouted the other members of Team 7. Naruto didn't move, his eyelids simply quivered and closed, before his body slumped to the ground.

* * *

 _"Where...am I...?"_

 _Drip!_

 _"My...mind...?"_

 _Drip!_

 **"You're still weak, Naruto"** boomed a deep voice.

"Tsk, don't...pester me...now..." spoke a tired Naruto, standing shakily. The fox smirked at him before leaning low, breathing against the gate of his seal. **"You're still too weak. Beaten by a mere clone!"** The fox laughed at his container with a sly smirk. Naruto grit his teeth and growled under his breath, mustering up what little strength he had left. "Would you...just...be...SILENT!" Naruto turned up to him and glared at him, his Sharingan spinning wildly. Naruto stared into the beast's eyes, subconsciously trying to make it cease its taunts. The Kyuubi paused for a moment before scoffing at his host. **"Your Sharingan pales before the bastards that contorlled me. You need my power, Naruto, otherwise...you'll die here.** The Biju let out a roaring laugh and smirked at him. **"Your parents will have died protecting a failure, a failure who died on his first real mission. You're still weak, Naruto, weak!"** The Kyuubi cackled and laughed. **"The Yondaime died to save a worthless brat! How ironic that the greatest shinobi of your village died to save the weakest! Let me out** **, Naruto, and I will show you the power you desire."** The beast gave a dark and terrifying grin. After all these years he knew exactly what buttons to push. All he needed was a single seed of doubt brought on by a near death experience and he could finally push the pieces into place. He wasn't a fox just for show, he had the cunning to match. His last container proved herself to be powerful in her own right, but his current container was weaker than her. He simply couldn't allow that, especially when the boy had so much potential. He was tired of watching, waiting for Naruto to become stronger when he knew the boy could. All that was necessary was a little...push.

Naruto walked, unsteadily, towards the gate of the seal. He stumbled and fell once, ignoring the Biju's watchful gaze as he finally reached the gate. The water beneath him swirled in a raging torrent, lifting him high into the air and in front of the seal. "Kyuubi...what do I do now? Tear this thing off?" The fox smirked **"I thought you were supposed to be one of the smarter brats? Yes tear it off, you moron!"**. In a moment, Naruto gripped the top of the paper, preparing to take it off and gain the power he desired. _"I'll never be seen as weak again. I'll become stronger than anyone alive. I'll surpass all that stand in my way!"_

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Naruto finally fell from the raging waters that were pulling him up and the change on the seal disappeared. Naruto slowly sat up, pushing himself up onto one knee, glancing down and noticing the dark circle where his seal was. _"Strange...I don't remember seeing that...and I'm not tired anymore. What happened?"_ Naruto looked up to the seal, seeing it perfectly intact. **"Minato, speak to your little brat over there. He's gotten far too reliant on _my_ strength. He needs to become strong in his own right before he begins using my strength again, he's used it as a crutch."** With that, the Kyuubi retreated into the darkness and closed his eyes, deciding to sleep until the little reunion was over. Boy, did he hate Naruto's eyes widened immediately upon hearing the name of the man in front of him. "Mi...nato...?" "I put my chakra into the seal, in case you might lose control and get taken over by the Kyuubi...I didn't expect it to be so soon..." Naruto grit his teeth. "Then again, maybe that's a good thing...? I've wanted to see how my son was d-" Naruto punched the man in the stomach as hard as he possibly could, causing Minato to recoil and nearly fall to his knees. "You...you're the one...who made my life...a living HELL!" Naruto slammed his fist into his cheek, sending Minato's face to the side. "Over and over, time after time, they made my life hell before the massacre! Then, they said I did it, they said I killed all of my clan members! They beat me until I was almost dead, and they still didn't stop! Then I lost control and gave in, and slaughtered them all! Then I had to watch everything happen again and again because of that damn Tsukiyomi! All because you had to seal that beast inside me! Why? WHY?!" Minato looked away ashamed. "Naruto...I thought that you could one day control the Kyuubi, one day defeat it and become strong. I hoped that you could be a hero...not a villain..." Naruto grit his teeth, tears threatening to escape from his Sharingan eyes. Naruto's lip quivered, trying to speak but being unable to bring himself to do so. He simply couldn't do it, he understood why his _father_ had chosen to seal it in him. If the Kyuubi really killed his parents, then the only way to keep the Kyuubi from rampaging across the world was to seal it in a child, to make him a Jinchuriki. That was the only option, and yet Naruto still felt bitter.

"Naruto...your eyes...are those?" All Naruto could give was a nod, gritting his teeth hard as he fought to beat back his suppressed emotions. He refused to be weak ever again, he promised himself that, and here he was about to burst into tears over his own damn father. He felt like a damn child again and he hated that. "Naruto...how old are you?" "T-twelve..." choked out a struggling Naruto. Minato smiled at him "I can't believe how strong you are, I never thought you'd be a greater prodigy than even me." Naruto grit his teeth further, hating himself for being broken down so easily by his father's worthless praise. "Naruto, I want you to know that I never wanted this to happen to you. I never wanted anything bad for you. I only wanted you to be strong, to be the best you could be, and to be happy." The flood gates opened with that, and Naruto simply broke down and cried. After all, he was only twelve and had witnessed over a dozen killings by his _own_ hand, witnessed over a dozen more corpses of his own clan, and been beaten nearly to death a dozen times. A boy can only be so strong for so long before he must release all that pent up emotion. Finally, Naruto broke down and cried for the first time since the Uchiha Massacre.

After almost five full minutes of sobbing, Naruto finally pulled himself together and stood. Wiping his eyes, Naruto spoke "Minato...Tou-san...I..." "Relax, Naruto, explain whatever you feel comfortable with talking about. I'll be here for you, no matter what." Minato gave him another one of his signature smiles before snapping his fingers. In the blink of an eye, they were in a more serene place, free of the sewer-like area of his mindscape. Now, the two were in the middle of a grassy clearing, sitting on rocks opposite of each other. Naruto released a sigh before sitting up and beginning to explain.

"Well, first, I was being attacked by the villagers since I could walk. Every birthday I spent being chased by drunken, angry mobs. Everytime I was caught I was beaten within an inch of my life, only the fox stood between myself and death. Even then, I still forced a smile to seem alright, even if it was just to keep...Hiruzen happy. For some reason or another, I wanted to visit Sasuke...Fugaku's younger son, but when I arrived...I..." Naruto took a deep breath. "All I could see were bodies, the bodies of the Uchiha clan. The villagers, stupid as they were, immediately felt I had done it, and deserved to die. They attacked me...but the thought that my only friend was dead, and that I was being blamed and attacked again...made me snap. I...I killed them, all of them, shinobi and citizen alike. My Sharingan awoke...I channeled the Kyuubi's chakra subconsciously, and killed all of them. By the time I calmed down, I realized what I'd done. Then Itachi came and cast his Tsukiyomi on me. I was forced to experience that hellish night over and over and over until it broke me. When I woke up I was different, the experience and the Sharingan changed me and I became emotionless. Then I found out who my father was, blackmailed Hiruzen into giving me your estate and money and jutsu and came up with my own goal. I decided I wanted to become the greatest in the world, to silence all opposition and become greater than anyone alive. It's what I decided I'd wanted. In the latter half of my time in the Academy I was attacked by Danzo's Root nin and realized he wanted me under his control. I fought and beat the Root shinobi, told the Sandaime, and then Danzo backed off. A few more years later, I finished the Academy and joined Team 7 under Kakashi. This was supposed to be my first C-Rank mission, but it's turned into something close to an A or B-Rank. That doesn't change the fact that I was beaten by a clone and gave into the Kyuubi though...dammit...I'm still so weak..."

Minato laughed and ruffled his hair. "You're not weak, Naruto, you're the best damn Genin I've ever seen or heard of. You've exceeded my hopes and expectations years ago, I'm proud of you Naruto. I'm sorry for all that's happened because I made you a Jinchuriki, but tell the Sandaime I told him it was alright to tell the village. I wanted him to tell you when you were old enough to defend yourself, I wanted the village to know when you were strong enough, but I think you're more than strong enough." Minato gave him a proud smile before pausing for a moment. "Hey, did you say you got my jutsu from old Hiruzen?" Naruto nodded "I've been struggling with the Hiraishin, could you give me a pointer or two?" "Seals, Naruto, it's just a seal. That's really as there is to it." Naruto had to resist the urge to launch him across the clearing. "You mean to tell me your notes are all just fancily worded bullshit?" Minato only laughed a bit nervously, "Ah well, sorta...ehehe..."

Naruto just sighed and stood, activating his Sharingan. "Tou-san...how much chakra do you have left, how much time left?" Minato blinked in surprise before remembering the Sharingan could see chakra. "I don't have much left at all, maybe a minute at most." "Then...I need you to do something for me..." Minato nodded quickly "Sure, anything, Kushina wouldn't let me live this down if I didn't help you." Naruto nodded and created a Rasengan in his hand. "Tou-san...I want to use you to awaken the Mangekyou." Minato, realizing what he meant, simply nodded solemnly. "I've told you all I wanted to tell you, Naruto. And now, I've got to go and tell Kushina how great our son grew up to be. Go ahead. Awaken the Mangekyou, and keep making us proud, alright?" Minato gave him a final smile before Naruto tearfully slammed the ball of pure chakra into Minato's chest, causing the chakra to begin to dissipate. The Yondaime's face formed a pained expression momentarily, before he smiled tearfully.

"I love you, Naruto."

* * *

The tomoe of Naruto's Sharingan spun rapidly, the tails of the tomoe shooting out and spiralling and crisscrossing over and over and over again, until finally his eyes spun once more and then snapped shut, tears dripping out. When he'd opened them again, he was staring into the eyes of his Biju. **"You owe me for this, Naruto. I gave you the power you desired and more. I expect this debt to be paid in full."** Naruto simply nodded and sat down, resting his eyes. "I do owe you, that's for certain. You gave Minato more chakra in order to stick around longer, didn't you?" The fox simply smirked in response and rested its chin on its paws. It was more than enough of an answer for Naruto, who simply nodded and stood. "I suppose it's time to test these eyes. And...thank you, Kyuubi."

* * *

Things had gone from bad, to a lot, lot worse.

Kakashi had watched Naruto be struck down by Zabuza's clone and then he started to go through his Biju transformations. Naruto had gotten all the way up to the fifth tail before suddenly the chakra exploded outward, blowing the others away. In the chaos, Zabuza slipped away, but Kakashi still had a five tailed Naruto to deal with. At least, that's what he thought. Once again the chakra shifted suddenly, dissipating within an instant, allowing Sakura to stand back up and breathe. The two Sharingan wielding nin who were still standing noticed the chakra was completely gone. They watched Naruto stand up slowly, before opening his eyes to show a strange design. Sasuke had instantly known what it meant, but it took Kakashi a moment to recognize that the design was vastly different from the _normal Sharingan_. _"Thats...!"_ Naruto took a deep breath, opening and closing his eyes slowly, adjusting himself to his enhanced visual prowess. _"Now to test my newfound powers."_ Naruto pumped chakra into his right eye, eager to see his newfound powers.

* * *

 **AN:** Whew, this one was a wild ride.

It took awhile to come up with a design for Naruto's Mangekyou and I still haven't even been able to come up with fair and relatively balanced abilities (although I am leaning towards Kamui and Kotoamatsukami). However, I want to create new abilities for Naruto so that he stands out more rather than just recycling already existing abilities.

If you've got ideas for Mangekyou abilities feel free to message me them!

Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!

And for anyone who'd like to see a better picture of it, here's Naruto's Mangekyou: /eey37z


	14. Chapter 14: An Ethereal Warrior

"Takami." The world paused around him. Naruto tried to move his body forward to walk, but found he was rooted in place.

 _"A time-based jutsu? Strange, I've never heard of anyone in the history of the Uchiha having such a power. I've only heard of genjutsu that alter time for a person, perhaps this is a genjutsu as well?"_ Naruto stopped the flow of chakra in his eye and within a moment things began to move normally again. Naruto paused and shoved more chakra into his right eye, forcing things to pause again. The same thing happened, leading Naruto to the conclusion that the amount of chakra he used in that eye would affect the amount of time he had to, well, "pause" the world. His mind began to reel at the versatility of such a power, ranging from preparing to cancel an enemy jutsu or perfectly reading his opponent's movements. He could easily defeat any enemy he came across with this, but he acknowledged his chakra uses. It was extensive, even for a jinchuriki like him. He knew that the Kyuubi certainly wouldn't be lending much chakra any time soon as Naruto heard him declare that he was too reliant on the Bijuu's chakra. He knew that he would have to push his chakra reserves further if he wanted to use his newfound power more effectively. Having decided that, Naruto moved to his left eye.

"Kamui." Naruto felt his body swirl and distort, sending a mild panic through his body as for the first time in his life he had absolutely no idea what was going on. It would have terrified him if he hadn't found himself in such a strange place. He knew that this must be the power of his right eye but whether or not he understood what this place was a different story. All he could see were strange strange blocks made of a pure black material. They gave off a kind of silvery light, giving the area a gloomy and terrible atmosphere. Glancing at his feet he saw that he was standing on an extended platform of these bizarre blocks. Kneeling down, Naruto pressed his hand on it and felt nothing but a freezing sensation. It seemed that the surface of the blocks were colder than anything he'd ever seen or felt. Strangely enough though, only direct contact appeared to cause this. He decided that it was time to try and return to the world he knew and so he thoughtlessly spoke the word again. "Kamui."

* * *

Kakashi was beyond concerned now.

By the time Naruto had gotten up, he was gone again. He disappeared in something eerily similar to his own dojutsu. Kakashi calmed himself and within a minute later Naruto had returned in the same way as he had gone. Kakashi watched him fall to his knees and let out a vicious coughing fit. Leaping over to him, Kakashi helped him stand before Naruto pushed him away. Naruto walked shakily before turning to him. "Kakashi, where's our opponent? I'd like to repay him." Naruto grinned and spun his new eyes maliciously. Even Kakashi was surprised by this, watching the bizarre pattern cycle. It was a strange 8 pointed, rounded star with an even stranger design in the center. The only thing he felt he could really compare it to was...a cage. It then hit Kakashi _"He must have unlocked it while he was out. What happened?"_ "Naruto...what happened to you?" Naruto turned slowly, allowing his eyes to fall back into their natural color. "It's simple, Kakashi, your mentor put some of his chakra into my seal. Imagine my surprise when I find him there, waiting to deny the Kyuubi from ever taking my body." Naruto snorted in amusement. "It's funny, really, that he'd deny my path to power only to open up a new one." Kakashi was stumped to say the least. He wasn't really sure what exactly Naruto meant until something clicked in his mind. He recalled something that an old acquaintance in the Anbu had told him.

 _"The Mangekyou is awakened from a traumatic loss, like killing your best friend or brother"_

Shisui's words had never proven truer to him than now. Shisui was the only person he even remotely trusted other than Minato-sensei and Tenzo. Tenzo was just a subordinate though, someone to train and impart a little wisdom to, while Minato was, well, his teacher. Shisui's explanation helped Kakashi to put two and two together and figure out what exactly Naruto had meant by his words. "Naruto...would you have been able to keep him around any longer?" Naruto shook his head "the fox was the only thing keeping him around in the first place. When I realized that his chakra was fading, I finished it off." Naruto began to walk the path again, summoning a new clone to carry their tied up bounty. "We should start moving again, it's getting close to night and I'd like to have a decent rest." Sasuke and Sakura, both completely and utterly confused, turned to their sensei for approval. Kakashi simply gave them a nod and followed after Naruto. _"It's just like Minato-sensei to leave a contingency plan for his own son. If only I could have talked to him...just for a moment..."_ "Old man, get up here and lead us to your house." Kakashi was brought out of his brief musings to hear Naruto bark an order. Tazuna hurried to the front in a nervous manner, beginning to guide the group towards his home. Within a few hours they had arrived.

By the time they had reached Tazuna's home, the entire group was exhausted except for Naruto and Kakashi. Naruto had remained lively due to being rejuvenated by the Kyuubi's chakra while Kakashi was fine due to the fact that he was a Jonin and had enough chakra left to stay alert. The group went to sleep up in the rooms they were given by Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter. Naruto decided to slip out in the middle of the night, leaving a Kage Bunshin behind to pose as him and get sleep for him.

* * *

Naruto wandered into the forest, searching for an area far enough away from Tazuna's home so that he wouldn't wake anyone up with his training. After finally finding a suitable spot, Naruto summoned two thousand clones in total. Naruto then dispersed his preexisting clone to help him conserve the little chakra he had left and activated Kamui. The clones all knew what they were supposed to do, so he left them to it. In the meantime, Naruto explored his Kamui "dimension". He wandered for a while, calming his breathing as he walked. After finding almost nothing, he used his Kamui again and found himself just behind the house. To say Naruto was surprised was an understatement, he was shocked. To think that he could essentially teleport over what appeared to be a great distance was insane. He struggled to wrap his head around all the uses of such a jutsu. He would ponder it tomorrow however, as he was now exhausted from his thoughtless chakra use. Naruto leapt up to the window of the room Sasuke and Kakashi were in, sliding the window open and slipping into the bed he was given.

Naruto awoke to a breakthrough in the clones' training during the night. Slipping out of the bed and out through the window, he hurried to the woods nearby. He sat down in a destroyed clearing and meditated, sifting through hours of memories from thousands of clones. Eventually he found the memory he was searching for. One of the clones somehow managed to reach a level of the Susano'o, but it wasn't sure how or which level exactly. Naruto sifted deeper into its memories, searching for anything that might give him a clue. Just as he was about to figure it out, a feminine voice spoke "Are you alright?" Naruto opened his eyes, clearly annoyed by the disturbance. "Yes, now go away, I'm busy." Nearby, a clone from the night before silently dispersed, telling him that the girl was likely a shinobi by her chakra levels. _"I knew something was off."_ Naruto turned to face her, noticing the specific plants she held in her hand and in her basket. They were plants similar to the ones he had seen in the hospital after minor attacks as a child. The girl gave him an innocent smile, one that he refused to believe was genuine. _"If she's a shinobi, then she's likely looking to take out Tazuna. Assassins seem to be the only real shinobi around here anyway."_ "Cute the niceties, who are you?" The girl's face faltered a bit before she replied "Well, I'm Haku. Who are you?" "My name isn't relevant. What are you doing here?" The girl faltered again, seemingly bothered by the blonde's attitude. "I'm getting herbs for my father. He was injured in an accident recently." She smiled, again seemingly genuine, but the wheels had already started turning in Naruto's mind. Part of him suspected that this was Zabuza's daughter or accomplice, making him want to kill her right then and there to be done with it. On the other hand, Zabuza had seemed to work alone besides the Demon Brothers. Those three were Mist shinobi and all in the Bingo Book already yet "Haku", or any Mist ninja who matched her description for that matter, was not. He wasn't sure what kind of jutsu the girl had in her arsenal, but continued pressing her for a legitimate answer. "Haku, where were you born?" "What?" The girl hesitated just the slightest bit, which was more than enough to put the nail in the coffin.

"Kamui." Naruto grabbed her quickly, holding her. The girl was caught off guard by the jutsu, considering Zabuza hadn't told her anything about it. Within seconds she was swirled into Naruto's "dimension", leaving an angry and hidden Zabuza swearing under his breath. "What did you do to him?" Recognizing the familiar voice, Naruto was instantly on guard. "Zabuza, we have unfinished business, don't we?" Zabuza growled in response, giving Naruto just what he wanted for the fight: verbal cannon fodder. "Ah, seems little Haku is important to you." He smirked at the angry Mist nin. "Gee, I wonder what would happen if Haku were to die in there. Do I cut the throat, wait for starvation to do its work, or even strangle...hmm...so many options." Zabuza was furious now, for as much as he wouldn't admit it to Haku, he cared for the boy like a son. Zabuza threw himself at Naruto, trying to hit him just once. _"Kyuubi, could I borrow your chakra just one more time?"_ The fox growled in response, refusing its container. Naruto grit his teeth knowing that he the Kyuubi was going to stand its ground this time. He barely had enough time to finish his thoughts before an enraged Zabuza flung himself at Naruto. "Your fighting became sloppy as soon as you let your emotions get in the way." Naruto scoffed, continuing "I'm only a genin and yet I know that better than an experienced jonin. Tell me, Zabuza, does it frustrate you that you can't land a hit on a genin?"Zabuza came at him full speed, slamming the flat side of the blade against Naruto's side and sending him flying away. "You were saying, brat?"

Naruto grit his teeth, considering the only real advantage he had against Zabuza was now gone. He would calm his emotions now and this time he was truly determined. It threw a wrench in his plans to say the least. Naruto quickly created a dozen clones, sending one away from the area to find out how one of the clones from last night unlocked the power of the Susanoo. He would need it in this fight, so he had to find out quickly. In the meantime, ten of the clones were occupying the Demon of the Mist while Naruto flew through hand signs. "Katon: Goka Messhitsu!(Fire Style: Majestic Demolisher Flame)". The clones occupying their enemy were dispersed instantly as a massive torrent of flames ripped through the forest towards Zabuza. "Futon: Daitoppa!(Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)" Naruto's combined jutsu created a massive wave of fire that rampaged in pursuit of Zabuza. The sheer heat of it was enough to decimate entire sections of the forest, turning trees into ashes. Naruto smirked as the clone he had nearby popped with information. _"Of course, it would make sense after all. We are a clan driven by..."_

A water dragon clad with explosive tags crashed into Naruto. Zabuza smirked, silently thanking his own quick thinking to ride over the jutsu using the little water there was left nearby. The small pond that was there had nearly evaporated when Zabuza used it to create the dragon. It was even harder to keep the dragon stable and avoid it evaporating as well. He hand to hand it to the boy, there was enough heat in that jutsu to have turned him to charred ash. He'd never be able to tell him that however, since the boy had to be dead by now. Then again, the boy was a Jinchuriki and was also quite resourceful. He'd need to stay on guard in order to be sure the boy was in fact dead.

 _"Hatred."_ Naruto walked through the smoke created by the explosions, looking for Zabuza's chakra. Moments later, he came face to face with an astonished Zabuza. "How, you're not even using the beast's chakra. What is this?" Naruto only smirked in response, before falling to his knees and coughing blood. _"I see, this really is painful. It's like I'm ripping myself apart from the inside out."_ Naruto stood back up, a little shakily before steadying himself. "It's the power within these eyes. When both Mangekyou Sharingan are used together, the chakra construct of the Susanoo can be reached. Although, it does require you to let your emotions get in the way..." "That emotion is?" Naruto grinned maliciously before throwing himself into Zabuza. "Hatred!" The sheer force of the ribcage slamming against Zabuza was enough to shatter his forearm as he attempted to block it. Naruto paused to allow his body to further acclimate to the Susanoo before continuing. Meanwhile, Zabuza attempted to nurse his shattered forearm to no avail. He would have to fight using only his weak arm, which certainly placed him at a disadvantage. Naruto felt his eyes bleed and he was forced to take another knee, coughing and spitting out blood. _"I hate this...this weakness!"_ Naruto let out a vicious roar, allowing his hatred to further fuel him. The black ribcage sprouted skeletal arms and soon a skull, all connected to the main body, giving off silvery wisps of chakra occasionally. Gritting his teeth and breathing heavily, Naruto stood slowly, looking up at his Susanoo. It looked incredibly similar to a human skeleton with a few exceptions. There was a single horn-like construct protruding from the chin, a jagged mouth filled with jagged teeth, and a pair of horns pointed away from the face.

* * *

Zabuza stared at the monstrosity before him. It was terrifying to say the least. He had to retreat for now and tell Gato to hire more shinobi to help him to get the job done. He wasn't finished with the boy, not after he had taken Haku. While Naruto was occupied with taking in the features of his ability, Zabuza leapt away, quickly fleeing the area towards the small village.

Naruto dropped to his knees again, coughing more blood. The Susanoo faded away, giving Naruto a reprieve to the toll it was taking on him. In a moment, Naruto was up again, but didn't see his enemy's chakra. _"Seems he fled, hopefully I've done enough damage to keep him away for some time."_ Naruto wandered back to Tazuna's home, collapsing with exhaustion as he reached the door.

* * *

Within a few hours, Naruto found himself in the bed he had left only hours before. He sat up groggily, looking around and activating his Sharingan. "Sensei, he's awake." In a moment, Sasuke's voice registered in his mind. _"So they were keeping a watch on me. Hmph, I shouldn't be surprised. It is Kakashi after all."_ Naruto slid off the bed a bit shakily, standing up straight slowly. He activated his Sharingan and watched a familiar chakra walk into the room. "Naruto, I'd like an explanation." Naruto simply waved him off, walking past him slowly. "Food, first, I'm starved." He walked into the dining room, finding Tsunami waiting for him with a smile. "I'm sure you're hungry, would you like anything?" "Yes, thank you." Naruto sat at the nearest seat, taking a deep breath.

* * *

 **AN:** This took a little while to post, I know, and I'm sorry for that.

But I felt that the powers I chose/created for Naruto's Mangekyou needed some work before I was ready to unveil them. Now, I only really showed the most basic applications of them so that I could expand upon them later on, so I'm sorry if anyone wanted to see Naruto use other abilities or use these a little more excitingly.

I used Sasuke, Indra, Hagoromo, and Madara's Susanoo as inspiration for Naruto's Susanoo but in the end I focused mainly on using Indra's for inspiration. I also used a bit of Susanoo-clad Kyuubi for inspiration as well but that really only shows in the horns.

If you want a good mental picture of it, take Indra's skeletal/muscle Susanoo, make it more skeletal, and add something similar to Madara's Susanoo's horns.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15: A Tool

After eating his meal, Naruto began to explain things to his team. He explained how he had managed to unlock the Susanoo, and began to explain his Mangekyou's abilities. "The right is an ability called 'Takami', and it seems to affect time. I'm not really sure how exactly it works just yet, but I've managed to work out that I can, sort of, pause time for a finite period. That's all I've figured out so far. The other eye is an ability called 'Kamui'." Kakashi's eye widened. "It seems to suck people into a kind of "dimension", I'm not really sure how else to describe it." Each person carried a different reaction to this news. Sakura was confused and scared of course, fearing the power and what it could do. Sasuke was intrigued by the power Naruto now wielded though in some level disbelief, yet did not fear it as Sakura did. Kakashi was absolutely baffled by the fact that he had the same kind of Mangekyou power as Naruto did. "Did...you say...Kamui?" "Hai, Kamui, why?" "Show me outside, now." Naruto raised an eyebrow curiously before nodding and walking outside with Kakashi in tow. Naruto's left eye spun into his Mangekyou. "Kakashi, grab on." Kakashi wordlessly placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Kamui."

The two swirled out and into Naruto's eye. When they arrived, Naruto instantly launched himself at Haku, pinning him to the ground. "I'd almost forgot, I found a friend of Zabuza's while I was training. I also severely injured him before he'd managed to escape." "You fought Zabuza?" "With the Susanoo and a couple of jutsu. I think I broke his arm or something close to it. I guess I should show you it." Naruto picked Haku up by the throat and kicked him away, launching him across the dimension. Channeling chakra into both eyes, an ethereal rib cage formed around him. Naruto gathered more chakra and formed the skeletal upper body, silver wisps of chakra flowing off of it. "This, is my Susanoo." Naruto turned back to Kakashi, his Mangekyou glowing with chakra. Kakashi stared at the black chakra construct that stood before him. He pulled his headband up, activating his Sharingan and gawking at the amount of chakra in it. _"This thing...it's more chakra than I have in my whole body...Naruto's reserves..."_ "Kakashi, tell me, how advanced is your Sharingan?" Kakashi seemed to understand what he meant. "It's...a Mangekyou...I'd rather not explain how I got it, not right now. But my Mangekyou also has an ability called Kamui, though it's at a far greater range than yours." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You mean to tell me we...share Mangekyou? That's only remotely possible at all with close relatives. You're not even an Uchiha, and I doubt it's your biological Sharingan. Who was the original owner?" Kakashi went silent, and this didn't surprise Naruto in the least.

Haku meanwhile was preparing to fight the monstrous boy before him. He had to be smart, but he was also extremely hungry and hadn't slept at all, which made things difficult especially with whatever that was. That...thing...was terrifying. He had never seen or even heard of such a power. Then he heard "Naruto" mention that he had fought Zabuza and even drove him off. It made him angry that he couldn't be there when Zabuza-sama needed him most. He would kill this boy and make Zabuza proud that he had such a useful tool. Haku readied himself to bait his opponent in, just close enough for him to trap him within his ice mirrors. Haku ran forward at Naruto, throwing a few explosive tags to shroud his vision. Then, Haku used a few hand signs in order to ensure he was hidden "Kirigakure no Jutsu(Hiding in Mist Technique)". The chakra floated across the surface of the dimension, cloaking the area in a thick mist. "This is one of Zabuza's jutsu, Naruto." "I figured as much." Naruto grunted in pain, letting his Susanoo dissipate. "I'll be harder to find this way, without the black chakra giving me away and all. I'll deal with this, Kakashi."

Naruto walked forward quietly, listening for anything out of place. Once he felt he was a good distance away from Kakashi, he knelt down and started to weave handsigns. "Futon: Taifuikka!(Wind Style: Passing Typhoon)". The wind burst forth and whipped viciously, dispersing the mist with relative ease. Yet, Haku was nowhere to be seen. Naruto simply stood straight up and activated his Sharingan. The quiet sound of a blade slicing through air was enough to give him the que. "Takami!" The world stopped. Naruto forced chakra into both eyes as the Susanoo appeared. Naruto smirked. _"It seems that my Susanoo can circumvent the time-stopping of Takami, to an extent. It's more than enough, however."_ Naruto released the jutsu as Haku's kunai shattered against the rib cage of the Susanoo. Naruto turned quickly, bringing a hand around to grab Haku and bind him. "Haku, was it?" The boy struggled against the clawed fingers and tight grip of the ethereal skeleton. "Start talking. Who are you? What relationship do you have with Zabuza?" Haku grit his teeth, refusing to speak. "I order you, to speak!" Naruto tightened the grip, causing Haku to cry out in pain. It felt as though he was being crushed to death. "I'm...his...weapon" hissed the long-haired boy. "I don't believe you, his facial expression shifting slightly into worry upon your capture proves that wrong. What is your true relationship?" "I told you...I'm...nothing more than a tool to him." He grunted, trying to avoid showing how much pain he was in. Naruto brought Haku close, looking him in the eyes and placing his hand on his head to immobilize it. "Takami."

The world shifted.

* * *

Naruto went through pieces of Haku's life in an instant, time having stopped entirely while Naruto's Takami was in effect. He saw a woman, smiling and happy, suddenly flip to viciously defensive of him. The woman was attacked by dozens of people, bravely fighting back. She'd managed to put down a few of them with what appeared to be ice, but this only fueled the anger of the attackers. She took out a couple more before being overwhelmed. _"Run, Haku...Run!"_ were her final words before succumbing to her wounds. Then a man that seemed familiar walked up to him, filled with rage, swing down on him with a kunai. All of a sudden he felt a scream escape his lips and when he next opened his eyes, the man was impaled with a spike of ice. Looking around, he saw the entire house was pierced with the spikes. He felt the sadness, the rage, the pain that Haku felt that day. He felt all of it.

Then he was in front of homes, knocking on doors and begging the people inside for food. Every single time, they slammed the door in his face. Eventually he gave up and wandered off into the wilderness, searching for any kind of food. In time, he came to be in front of a man: Zabuza. Zabuza fed him, gave him warmth, protected him. With that, he vowed to be Zabuza's tool, in order to ensure he was worth something to Zabuza.

* * *

In the next moment Naruto was back to himself, falling to his knees with all the information and emotion he felt slamming into his mind. Blood dripped down from his right eye, the Susanoo faltering. Naruto recognized it beginning to fade and became angry with this show of weakness. _"I'm not weak, not anymore!"_

"GYAUUUUUUUUGHHHHH!"

The Susanoo came back in full force, roaring with him before settling and letting out a low, beastly growl. Naruto panted for a moment before standing. "Haku, I understand now. You see him as a real father, not like your biological father." Haku's eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion. his hands subconsciously balling into fists. "What do you know? You're from the Leaf! You weren't treated like a monster!" The eyes of Naruto's Susanoo began to glow brighter, the silvery chakra sending a shockwave across his dimension. "Haku, I am a Jinchuriki. Do you know what that means?" Haku was silent. "It means I am a human sacrifice. I bear the burden of all of Konoha's hatred, and have been since I was born. I've been nothing but an outcast my entire life. Tell me again, Haku, how I don't know what it's like!" Naruto grabbed Haku with his Susanoo, strangling the breath from him. "Go ahead, tell me again!" Haku coughed out blood and Naruto threw him across the dimension, slamming him into a vertical block, his body sliding down. Naruto let the Susanoo dissipate before walking over and picking Haku up and throwing him to the ground again, knocking him unconscious. "Kakashi, are you ready to leave?" Kakashi nodded and leapt to him, placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Kamui."

The three warped back into the world, meeting a surprised Sasuke. "Sasuke, tie him up completely with ninja wire. I'm going to rest." Naruto walked back to Tazuna's house, going upstairs and laying on the bed, letting out a tired sigh. _"I feel sore everywhere. I didn't even use the Susanoo for very long. My body still needs to acclimate to the pain before I should further its power."_

With that thought, Naruto fell asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile outside, Sasuke was tying Haku up with wire. "Kakashi, what happened to him?"Kakashi remained quiet for a moment before opening his mouth to speak. "Well, he's unlocked the Susanoo." Sasuke nearly gawked at this confirmation "I thought I heard him say that...but...how...how did he unlock the Susanoo, let alone the Mangekyou?" "Well, even I don't have all the details. He's only given us bits and pieces to go on at the moment." Kakashi sighed, almost regretting becoming a Jonin-sensei at all. With his team's dynamic of an avenger, a former fan-girl, and a ruthless enigma, it was a lot to handle sometimes. Even before Naruto had awakened the Mangekyou the team was a handful. No, he couldn't think like this. Minato-sensei wouldn't approve of it, and neither would Rin or Obito. Minato would want him to continue training his son as best as he could. Rin would want Kakashi to help them all become great teammates and great friends, like they had been. And Obito...well...he owed it to Obito to continue training the last two Uchiha in the village.

* * *

In a few hours, Naruto was awake once more and headed out to the bridge. Kakashi was training Sakura and Sasuke in the meantime, for Sakura was far behind the two and now Sasuke felt he needed to start to catch up to Naruto. In the meantime, since Naruto was more than capable of defending the bridge from petty bandits, he was placed on guard duty. That didn't stop Naruto from training, however, as he sent out a few hundred clones to train for him in the meantime. If Zabuza returned to fight Naruto for a third time, all he needed to do was disperse the clones and he could easily defeat him. After all, Zabuza would only be able to use one arm, which gave Naruto a huge advantage. The Mist nin wouldn't be able to weave handsigns and would struggle to wield his blade with the same efficiency as before. However, Zabuza was still a powerful shinobi, so he couldn't simply treat him as a pushover like the Demon Brothers. Naruto remained vigilant, constantly looking around him. Though it could be chalked up to paranoia, he refused to be caught by surprise.

* * *

Sasuke knew he was more than a little behind Naruto now that he had the Mangeykou. Sasuke desperately wanted to awaken it as well, to be able to keep up with Naruto, but he didn't see himself awakening the Mangekyou anytime soon. It was frustrating to say the least. He grit his teeth, realizing that it would be hard to surpass Naruto without the Mangekyou.

* * *

 **AN:** So this chapter took awhile, and ended up surprisingly short. I tried to make the chapter longer but it just felt like it was turning into filler.

Anyway, hope you guys at least enjoyed this chapter somewhat. The next will be more interesting!


	16. Chapter 16: Defending the Bridge

Naruto sighed, sitting against a half-built railing of the bridge. He was almost bored with things, since he was expecting quite literally anyone to show up to stop them. Suddenly, he noticed a large chakra signature. It was an incredibly large amount of chakra coming towards him, it even rivaled his own chakra levels. Realizing that this could possibly be Zabuza's reinforcements, he quickly activated his right eye, letting it swirl into the Mangekyou. "Takami." Quickly summoning a shadow clone and dispersing the ones training, he sent a shadow clone into his Kamui, telling it to quickly alert Kakashi and the others. In the meantime, the real Naruto stood at the ready, prepared to defend the bridge from anyone who dared to fight him. Naruto leapt across the gap between the two parts of the bridge, shouting. "Everyone, get away from here! There is a powerful shinobi approaching, and I don't feel like cleaning up your bodies." The builders fled as quickly as they could, as Naruto stood. Naruto's eyes bled a little as the full effects of a clone using his Mangekyou finally hit him. He took a deep breath and concentrated. He pulled a kunai from his belt, ready to fight whoever stood before him. Focusing his eyes on the approaching shinobi, he noticed a smaller chakra signature which was dwarfed by the larger one. He recognized it instantly with a smirk. _"Zabuza...again? Hmph, I should have figured that."_ Naruto leapt off the bridge towards them, slipping the kunai away quickly. _"Well, guess I should give this thing a try at the least."_ Naruto created a shadow clone, which ran through handsigns while the original created a Rasengan. "Katon: Zokyo-en(Fire Style: Augmenting Flame)." The clone spewed fire into the Rasengan carefully and precisely, loading it with that chakra. Naruto concentrated hard on keeping the Rasengan together while the new chakra settled in and around it. Finally, the Fire chakra calmed and simply coursed through and through the Rasengan. Naruto grinned, imagining the destructive power this would have on his enemies. "Kamui." Within a moment, Naruto was gone, but the clone remained.

* * *

The two nin charged for the clone who simply leapt into the air, creating a clone of its own who threw it forward a tremendous distance. The new clone dispersed, leaving the original clone alone again. _"Boss said I needed to bring them over here, so this should work."_ The shark-like nin charged after him. "Get over here, brat!" he roared, letting his sharp teeth show with a grin. As the shark-man came close, he slammed his weapon down from his back. At the same time, a strange distortion formed from behind him, revealing another Naruto holding a strange fire in his hand. "Katon: Rasengan!" Naruto threw his arm forward with as much strength as he could, but the shark-like man reacted quickly and pulled his weapon back around, blocking the Rasengan. Naruto's eyes widened then narrowed, pushing more chakra into his jutsu. The shark-man simply smirked in response "Samehada absorbs chakra, brat." Soon enough, the Rasengan began to dissolve against the weapon, blowing off the wrapping and showing a spiky, purple, odd weapon. The weapon itself almost gagged against the chakra, but accepted it nonetheless. "The Samehada? You must be Hoshigake Kisame, of Kiri." The now named shinobi grinned in response to the recognition. "Seems you must know me, I didn't expect a child to know an S-Ranked shinobi." "Well when you're a shinobi, you're supposed to know your possible enemies." Naruto glanced back, seeing Zabuza watching them. Flipping back over Zabuza's head to create some distance, Naruto spoke "Oh, you've returned already? And even nursing a wounded arm, seems I really did deal some serious damage." Zabuza growled under his breath. "How about your little friend, Haku, right? I've seen his life, I see how you two see each other, why try to lie at this point? I wonder how he'd feel if he were still around..." The injured Kiri shinobi's eyes widened, before gritting his teeth. "So what, you killed the boy? Whatever, he was nothing but a tool." "You lie, Zabuza. I told you already, and I'll tell you again: I have seen his memories and I understand your relationship." The bandaged Kiri nin only growled again. "So, Zabuza, if you don't want the boy to die, I suggest you back away." Conflicted, Zabuza made the safe maneuver to back away from the fight, giving them plenty of space.

Kisame laughed at his former comrade. "Heh, what a pathetic wimp you've become. This is all for a little boy? Bah, you're still weak as ever." Kisame then grinned at Naruto "I'll enjoy tearing you apart." "Come, try me. You'll find I'm not as weak as I appear." Naruto pulled a kunai out and got into a serious stance. Kisame didn't respond in words, but in actions. He rushed forward towards Naruto, seemingly toying with him as he slammed Samehada into the boy's kunai repeatedly. _"He isn't taking this seriously. Good, I can surprise him and take the upper hand quickly."_ Naruto moved back, pretending to be on the defensive and intentionally putting as little force into each deflection as possible. This brought Kisame right into Naruto, who let his enemies weapon slide across his kunai before pushing off the ground hard and sending the blade away. Kisame wasn't expecting such a powerful push, and as such, was only barely able to stop Naruto from ripping through the entire right side of his throat with a kunai. Nevertheless, Naruto smirked hearing the sound of blood dripping from the shark-man's neck.

* * *

Zabuza was both shocked, and impressed. As a man who respected strength, and as a man who had lived against the boy in a one on one battle, he didn't expect Naruto to land a fatal blow on Kisame. He hadn't even expected the boy to come remotely close to such an opportunity, let alone be able to take full advantage. He knew that Kisame wasn't dead, but it still gave him a shock.

* * *

"Will you take me seriously now?" The shark-shinobi didn't respond, only giving a short "hmph" as he forced Samehada to heal the wound. _"This kid wasn't kidding. That was a hell of a strike...if only he'd have been born in Kiri, I coulda made him my apprentice."_ Naruto didn't give enough time to heal properly, and as such, the slice in his neck. He quickly continued on the offensive, looking to send his kunai into Kisame's upper back. He quickly summoned a hundred clones, who activated their Sharingan and began to swarm Kisame. The Kiri shinobi was only barely able to avoid most strikes, but quickly deduced that they had a single target in mind. _"He's trying to slice through an artery, I can't let that happen, otherwise it would take too long for Samehada to heal me in battle."_ Kisame did his best to block whilst spitting what little blood seeped into his throat in an attempt to blind his opponents. Naruto took a step back from the fight and soon his Susanoo had formed. While it was still only in its most basic state, Naruto knew that he could accomplish exactly what he would need to do in order to take down Kisame. _"If I'm not precise in this, I could fail miserably and show him my plan. I have to make this count."_ Naruto, forming a handsign, summoned a dozen clones. Grabbing the Susanoo's ribs and back, they threw all of their chakra into the act. In a second, the upper body of a black skeletal being was flying into the air, going over Kisame. Naruto, throwing the Susanoo's hand out, managed to send the very end of one the construct's pointed fingers into the left side of the shinobi's upper back.

Kisame roared in rage and pain, spinning quickly and forming handsigns. Choking out a few words, Kisame spewed water at his feet, sending him into the air on a wave as the clones were dispersed. Naruto held his ground upon landing, holding the Susanoo's arms in front of him to bear the brunt of the impact. Finally, the immense force of the wave began to die down, giving Naruto the perfect opportunity to escape its destructive power. He let the Susanoo fade, jumping with all his might towards the nearby trees. Soon enough, he landed amongst the branches and began to leap from tree to tree, watching for when Kisame allowed the wave to stop. He didn't however, as Naruto noticed that Kisame was using the Samehada to heal him while he spewed water below him. He maintained the wave perfectly, keeping Naruto at bay while Samehada completely healed him. Soon enough the shark-like man was good as new, and stopped his jutsu. Standing on the water as it descended, Kisame growled. _"Something still doesn't feel right."_

Naruto dropped down, walking towards Kisame. "You don't seem to get it, you might be considered the Bijuu without a tail, but your intelligence certainly doesn't match." The man snarled and choked out blood in surprise. "You may be able to heal yourself, but you cannot rid your lungs of the blood that has spilled into them." As Naruto finished speaking, a flock of crows shot out from the nearby woods, forcing Naruto to jump away. _"Crows, that's the signature of..."_

"Kisame, we will be leaving now. You can finish this fight at another time." Kisame only coughed out some of his own blood in response. "Seems you have grown, Naruto-kun. I'm pleased with your progress. Perhaps it was worth leaving you alive." Naruto smirked "I am more than worthy of you, Itachi." Itachi didn't respond, only pushing Kisame's blade against his back. "Itachi, his lungs are filled with blood. He has no chance of living. He is nothing more than a walking corpse. If he doesn't die today, he'll die within a few days, at best." The black haired man turned, activating his Mangekyou and channeling chakra to his left eye. "Tsukuyomi."

* * *

Naruto found himself back at the Uchiha clan massacre. The people he slaughtered cried out in agony, begging him to spare them. Naruto simply snickered. "This won't work again." "Are you sure of that, Naruto-kun?" Itachi appeared from a mass of crows, floating above him. "I'm quite sure. I'll beat your little trick without even using _my_ eyes." Naruto gathered his chakra and let out a bestial roar, forming a silhouette of his Susanoo behind him. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise. Naruto was completely resisting the Tsukuyomi, it seemed his will was far stronger than he had anticipated since their last meeting. Naruto didn't even seem to be bothered in the least by the villagers. Naruto began to laugh heartily, but soon it became extremely dark. Naruto let out a roar, unleashing a huge amount of chakra. Itachi's eyes widened in surprise as the genjutsu began to crack and crumble. "Itachi, you are not the only one without the legendary eyes of the Uchiha."

* * *

Itachi struggled to remain standing, blood pouring from his eye. "You...broke from my Tsukiyomi..." Naruto stood a bit shakily and chuckled darkly. "Hehehe, you don't seem to understand things yet." Naruto's eyes spun into his Mangekyou as he yelled "I SHALL SHOW YOU MY POWER, ITACHI!" Naruto's Susanoo roared into existence, slamming a clawed hand down towards Itachi. Watching Itachi's chakra move, he quickly leapt after him, chasing him down. "You cannot flee from me, Itachi. I don't like to leave loose ends." He grinned, ecstatic. His love of battle became far too obvious for the arriving Team 7. "Come here Itachi! I want to fight you! I want to show you what your mistake has cost you!" Naruto summoned Susanoo as he closed the gap through the trees, spinning his Susanoo in a whirlwind-like motion, hands extended as they smashed through the forest. Dozens of trees were completely destroyed or felled in the process, but Naruto remained unsatisfied. Summoning clones, Naruto let his Susanoo fade. Using the clones Naruto flung himself at high speeds towards the retreating Itachi. Cackling with maddened glee, Naruto flew through hand signs. "Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!(Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu)" A massive fireball shot forward at Itachi, igniting the surrounding woods and forcing Itachi to shunshin away.

Finally, Naruto reached the black haired man, forcing him to let Kisame stand on his own. "Naruto-kun, I've no desire to fight you right now." Naruto grinned "But I want to fight you, or you could at least let me finish your friend off. It's either he dies now, or dies in a few days, suffering in agony as he suffocates on his own blood. He can't empty it from his lungs either. He'll either die of suffocation or he'll be ridden with disease. He's a dead man walking, let him go." "I'm afraid Leader-sama would not be pleased if another member perished. I'll have to keep him alive for now." Kisame only watched the exchange with vicious rage. He was beyond frustrated that the boy was able to so easily give him a fatal wound. He was still only a boy after all. Kisame forced himself to stand. "If I die" he huffed, "I'll die on my feet, dammit." "The murdering shark decides to die a man of honor? I'm impressed, Kisame." Naruto smirked then turned. "Unfortunately, I don't have a desire to fight a 2 on 1 battle. I've got much less of a chance in winning in a fight like this. You two are a team clearly, you'd be ready for anything I do knowing Itachi. I'll be taking my leave." Naruto snickered, summoning his Susanoo to block a pair of shuriken thrown by Itachi. "We will continue this another time, Itachi." The Susanoo's hands slammed down hard into the ground, causing an eruption of dirt and rock. As the debris cleared, the boy was gone.

* * *

 **AN:** Whew, sorry this one took so long. It took me a lot of time to type this chapter out. I've been a bit busy lately so that certainly didn't help. I had hoped to make this chapter longer to make up for how late I've been with this one, but I ended up rewriting this chapter almost half a dozen times. I'm happy with the result though. I hope you guys enjoyed this one just as much as I have.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	17. Chapter 17: Expanding Control

When Naruto returned to the bridge, he saw Zabuza standing and waiting for him. Glancing to the side, Kakashi and the rest of Team 7 were close by. _"Seems they were either watching me, or waiting for me. Whichever the case, it matters not"_ thought Naruto. Soon, he landed near Zabuza. "Boy...I'd like my...ally back" requested the Mist-nin, almost respectfully. "You want him back?" Naruto laughed "Why should I give you him? I have no reason to do so." Zabuza grit his teeth, frustrated "Naruto..." The boy in question raised an eyebrow curiously. "Ah, and how did you happen to learn my name?" "Your friends told me." Naruto replied with nothing but a shrug. "This doesn't change anything. I want you to tell me just how much you would give for him." Zabuza hesitated for a moment before kneeling silently offering the Kubikiribocho. Naruto nearly blinked in surprise at the man. "Of all things to give...you choose your beloved blade?" "You've caught me at every step of the way. I know I can't beat you here, if anything, I'll die if we fight. I choose to give you my blade, so long as you let Haku go free." Naruto gave him a smug grin in return. "Seems you've finally put your pride behind you. I understand that an accomplished jonin such as yourself would have trouble with this. Perhaps you care more than I originally believed..." Naruto tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"Stand, Zabuza, I have a better idea." Slowly, the Kiri shinobi stood up. "Zabuza, you will serve Konoha alongside Haku. In exchange, I'll spare your lives." Both Kakashi and Zabuza were absolutely dumbfounded. In all of Kakashi's time with Naruto, he had never seen the boy be...merciful. Everything in Kakashi's body screamed that something was wrong, something was terribly wrong...but Naruto never did anything without a reason. "I want your answer, Zabuza, otherwise I'll kill you both in an instant." A little eagerly, Zabuza agreed to Naruto's terms. "I accept your offer. I will join and work alongside Konoha for all of my life. Haku shall also join me. I swear on it." Naruto snickered "Your word is not enough. Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, come out. I want you all to bear witness to the fall of the Demon of Kiri." Within a few moments, the rest of Team 7 was assembled around Naruto. "Now Zabuza, you will swear your allegiance to me. Pledge to serve me or perish." Naruto's Susanoo exploded to life around him as a show of power. In a moment Zabuza was on his knees before Naruto, his blade at his feet and his hand over his heart. "Uzumaki Naruto, I hereby pledge my life to serving you until my death." Naruto smirked and his left eye spun wildly, an outward spiral spitting out an exhausted Haku. "Haku, your life has been spared on one condition..." Haku merely coughed as he breathed in the fresh air. "Pledge your life to serving me Haku, your 'father' already has." Haku's eyes widened in complete and utter shock, turning to Zabuza. The man didn't respond, his head remaining low in front of Naruto. "I-I pledge myself to you, er..." "Uzumaki Uchiha Naruto." Nodding, Haku continued "Uzumaki Uchiha Naruto." Naruto grinned, wide and malicious. "Rise now, and tell me where Gatou is and how to take over his empire."

* * *

Kakashi had now seen a new side of Naruto for the first time. First, the boy spared an enemy. Second, the boy gained two new shinobi for Konoha. Third, he was going to find out how to kill their former employer and seize the financial superpower that was Gatou Enterprises. Kakashi could not tell if Naruto had planned everything out, or whether he had simply seen his opportunity to further himself and Konoha. Kakashi understood that Naruto was intelligent, but this was something else entirely. With his actions, Naruto would singlehandedly save an entire country with a mere three deaths: the Demon Brothers and Gatou. It was an incredible feat, something almost unparalleled in the shinobi world. Naruto seemed to know exactly what he was doing as well, having managed to force Kisame and Itachi to flee, leaving him with nothing but the exact opportunity he desired, in order to gain what he wanted. The only thing Kakashi could think of that could be truly compared, was the formation the Village system.

Within the next hour, Naruto knew exactly where Gatou would be in only a few hours. Zabuza told him everything he knew of Gatou enterprises, giving him an easy path right to the heart of Gatou Enterprises. Soon, Naruto was preparing to attack the business superpower. He was armed with a pair of kunai and half a dozen seals, ready to assault and take down Gatou Enterprises.

* * *

Naruto stood on the roof of Gatou Enterprises, creating a small Rasengan. Within a moment, the concrete roof opened up. He slipped down into the building throwing both kunai straight into the throats of the now awoken guards. They gurgled out their final, dying breaths, Naruto quickly taking the kunai from their throats. In the next hour, Naruto had slaughtered a dozen guards as he slipped down to Gatou's office. Naruto smirked looking down from the ceiling at the chubby man through an opening in the ceiling. "Gatou, of Gatou Enterprises?" asked Naruto knowingly, crashing down into the office. The man in question nearly leapt in terror, watching the boy land gracefully onto his desk. "Wh-What? Who are you? How did you get in here? Leave! Now! Guards!" Naruto smirked as he heard the two men slipped out from behind pillars. Jumping into the air, Naruto spun, launching a kunai into straight into the throats of each of them. Gatou was stunned, speechless at the display. "Y-you, I'll pay you whatever you want!"

Naruto turned slowly, ensuring his intimidation would reach his target. "Gatou, sign over all of this. Give all of your businesses over to Konoha, or I will kill you as slowly as possible, starting with tearing your skin off, piece by piece." Naruto grinned, flashing his Sharingan at the man. Gatou was a ta loss, terrified beyond words. "Do it now, or I will tear you apart." In a moment, the man was hard at work, writing away and away at the paper in front of him. Naruto watched, intrigued at the man's fervor. He wanted to laugh at the man's fear, cackle in delight at his horrified expression, but instead he opted for a serious expression. Soon, the man had written off all of his possessions to the village of Konoha. "Replace it with Naruto Uzumaki Uchiha, or die now." He grinned wide, viciously. With a greater intensity than before, the man was swapping the words. When Gatou was finished, Naruto leapt into the air, his right leg poised to strike, falling down with his foot crashing into Gatou's skull and sending his head into a flurry of blood and bone, crushed by the sheer force of Naruto's strike. Naruto smirked at his handiwork, gathering up the paper and punching out the nearest wall with his skeletal Susanoo.

Naruto leapt from building to building, and for the first time in his life since the massacre, he had a genuine smile on his face. Everything was coming together, his plans coming to fruition. Soon, Naruto had arrived at Tazuna's home. When he arrived, he opened the door with zero hesitation, walking in proudly. "Gatou Enterprises is dead. I now have full control of everything he owns. Gatou is dead. I am the sole wielder of Gatou's business superpower, and now it is time to go home. Zabuza, Haku, with me, at once. We leave now." "Naruto, are you sure it's all under Konoha?" "Yes, everything is under my control. All of it." Kakashi nodded, a little more than surprised at his efficiency. "Very well, we will leave now then." Kakashi gestured for the other members of Team 7 to follow him. Naruto walked out from the building, waiting for Haku and Zabuza to follow him. Naruto's Sharingan spun into his Mangekyou. "Grab hold, everyone." Quickly, the rest of Team 7 was around Naruto, standing before him. Naruto's Mangekyou spun as his Kamui swirled, pulling in each individual member of their team into Kamui's dimension. Within a moment, Naruto had joined them.

* * *

Naruto began to run in the general direction of Konoha, leaping from block to block. "Follow me, everyone." He quickly made his way over a few dozen blocks, stopping once he was there. "Now, everyone stand in front of me." They all stood before him, each being swirled out of the dimension once more. In seconds, Naruto had joined them.

* * *

Zabuza and Haku now had their first look at the village of Konoha. It was a grand, sprawling village covered with lavish trees and a great mountain at the far end of the village. "Naruto...how did you...?" "Kakashi, leave the questions for later, just report to the Hokage." Naruto requested, refusing to answer anything asked of him. Kakashi, understanding the implication, leapt off to the Hokage's office with a purpose.

Naruto had never been happier.

He would never admit it, but this was the happiest day of his life thus far. He had conquered Gatou's business, gained two shinobi underlings, and gave Itachi a glimpse at his power. He had now taken full control of his life, he could leave Konoha at any point if he needed to. The most he would have to do is give the word and the two of his new servants would heed his call. Now he simply needed to come up with a plan, the Chunin exams would come up soon enough, and he wanted to be a Chunin without doubt. Then, during the exams, he would unleash his power and crush all of his opposition, Leaf shinobi or not.

* * *

 **AN:** Short chapter, I know, but I think a lot happened in this chapter.

Sorry for how long this took to get out, but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for reading!


	18. Chapter 18: Genin Gather

Things were beginning to get a little more...exciting.

Kakashi had now let Team 7 in on the fact that the Chunin Exams were almost here, and the three of them were to decide whether or not they would participate. Surprisingly, Sakura was the first to voice her approval, and it went without saying that the two Uchiha in the team were just as eager, if not more. The blonde Uchiha was clearly the most interested out of all of them.

Naruto made attempts to look more disinterested, but he had already given himself away to Kakashi. Naruto _had_ to participate, he would never be able to pass up such an opportunity to fight. He hoped that he would find enemies would prove to be a worthy challenge at the very least. Desiring to learn more of his possible enemies, Naruto decided to act. He had only recently begun to learn the specifics of the other villages due to the fact that as a Genin, he was not privy to more...sensitive information. Now, however, he had an entire business to run and with that business began to build a spy network. Its members would remain exclusive and as discreet as possible and failure to remain incognito would result in an agonizing death.

Naruto knew that if he was going to become a major player in the ninja world, he would have to start small and secret. Anything bigger would make him an opportune target for someone in a similar position, and he would _not_ be hunted again.

* * *

Naruto stood atop the Hokage Monument, looking over the village that had been his home since birth. He began to think about the future far more than ever before. Now that he had a massive business empire to run, he would have to create plans upon plans. Without a great deal of planning, the entire corporation could fall. Thus, he would have to rummage through all of his predecessor's paperwork, otherwise he would be very ill-informed. The shuffling of feet coming from behind him broke him out of his thoughts. "Quiet, isn't it?" "Yes, it is..." Naruto replied without turning to Kakashi. "You know, this night reminds me of the Uchiha Massacre..." Naruto raised an eyebrow and turned very slightly to Kakashi, letting him see only his Mangekyou. "Oh? And how so? Blood isn't splattering the walls of family's homes, corpses don't litter the streets, and the Kyuubi isn't sending an alarm to anyone who recognizes its chakra." Kakashi shrugged, walking up next to Naruto and looking over Konoha. "Sure, you could say that, but it carries a similar stillness. You know what I mean don't you?" Naruto turned back to watching the village. "I know what you're talking about, Kakashi." Kakashi gave Naruto a surprisingly cheery eye-smile.

Naruto didn't respond, opting instead to let his thoughts wander to that very night, the night where his life began anew. He could still vividly remember the anger, horror, and distress of it all.

Itachi had made sure of that.

"Kakashi, tell me...who caused all of that?"

Kakashi didn't respond and instead opted for a shrug, walking up next to Naruto. "I believe your father-Minato, knew the answer, but..."

* * *

It was finally time.

The Chunin exams would begin very soon, and he was more than ready. Naruto was extremely eager to fight opponents that would give him a greater challenge. Zabuza would have been a worthy opponent if he hadn't awakened the Mangekyou. Now he sought greater challenges, and sitting around in Konoha was beginning to bore him. He had even thought about going on a crime spree to force Anbu and the like to try and fight him.

As he walked aimlessly, he heard Konohamaru's voice in the distance. It sounded distressed, as if he was getting into real trouble. Naruto leapt up to the rooftops in a single bound, soon reaching Konohamaru. He looked down on the nin below him. _"Judging by their appearances, they must be Sand nin. They don't seem like much of a threat though..."_ Naruto let out a quiet sigh of disappointment, having expected more from the other villages. Naruto knew that he was essentially a prodigy among prodigies, but he still couldn't help but feel let down. Naruto then glanced up to the third Sand nin, and paused for a moment. Naruto could feel that the boy was somewhat powerful. He smirked as a devious plan formed in his mind.

With a single shunshin, he was behind Gaara. Naruto sent a powerful kick into the boy's back, spewing sand from the blow and sending him straight into the dirt. The two Sand nin already below him jumped in shock and terror. Naruto let out a quiet, dark chuckle at their faces. "What's the surprise for? He isn't so powerful, you know." He snickered at the boy he sent flying towards his fellow shinobi. "Sabaku no Gaara, I had expected you to be more of a...challenge." In a second, Gaara was up and sending a massive stream of sand towards Naruto. "Don't mock me!" Naruto easily dodged each blast of sand from Gaara, almost taunting the boy. Gaara let out an angry growl of frustration.

Naruto finally decided that he was bored of the feeble assault, and in an instant was before the boy. "Gaara, save your 'strength' for the exams. I certainly don't care for it."

* * *

 **AN:** Another long hiatus, almost entirely unintended. Sorry about that, guys. Hope this filler-esq chapter is enough to tide everybody over!


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